When the NFL sent a memo out to all 32 teams warning them against faking injuries to stop the play, they weren’t fooling around.
Earlier today, it was reported that the league handed out multiple big-time fines for players who faked injuries during their week 13 contests.
One of those players was New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Cameron Jordan, who was fined a whopping $50,000 for presumably faking an injury during his team’s Monday night loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The play occurred just before Tom Brady and the Bucs were about to line up for a 4th & 10 play midway through the fourth quarter. As Tampa’s offense was lining up, Jordan was seen looking at the Saints sideline before taking a knee and grabbing at his leg.
According to ProFootballTalk, there’s a specific camera angle that actually shows the Saints’ bench instructing Jordan to go down with an injury. And that is likely why, in addition to Jordan’s $50k fine, the league also dished out fines of $50,000 to Jordan’s position coach Ryan Nielsen, $100,000 to head coach Dennis Allen, and $350,000 to the Saints organization.
Jordan took to Twitter shortly after receiving the fine to voice his displeasure with the league’s ruling:
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Jordan wasn’t the only one to feel the wrath of the NFL’s crackdown on faking injuries.
The league also fined Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates III $50,000 for this obvious flop during his team’s victory over the Kansas City Chiefs last week.
Bates and Jordan are both expected to appeal their fines. Based on the footage, it could be difficult for either of them to win their appeal.
How Other NFL Players Respond To Massive Fines For Faking Injuries?
These massive fines are clear indicators that the NFL is not messing around when it comes to faking injuries and stopping the play—even if it means more commercial time for advertisers, and more money for the league.
It’ll be interesting to see how the players respond to these warnings from the league. Unless their teams promise to take care of the fines, I doubt any of these defenders are cool with seeing $50,000 deducted from their paycheck.
