Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer responded to Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey's memo to coaches about their players faking injuries. The Tide coach said the memo didn't need to have any serious effect on his team since his players have always complied with the rules.
“The rules have been the rules," DeBoer said in a press conference on Monday. "So just having to find another level of enforcement, I think, and seriousness about it is what’s happening here.
"From our end, I already talked to our players, our staff. It doesn’t change what we do because we go about it, and if you are hurt, you need to stay down, especially if it’s substitutions that need to be made. You need to be looked at."
Sankey's memo, sent out last week Friday, outlined that it was against the spirit of competition to fake injuries and that teams found guilty would face consequences.
For the first offense, teams would be slapped with a $50,000 fine and a public reprimand. The second offense would be a $100,000 fine along with a reprimand. The third offense would lead to a suspension of the team's head coach.
Since Alabama did not play in Week 10, DeBoer's team will have to start following the rules from Week 11, when the No. 11 Tide face No. 14 LSU (6-2, 3-1 in SEC) on Saturday.
Kalen DeBoer's Alabama looks to make College Football Playoff on the heels of Commissioner Sankey's memo
As things stand, Kalen DeBoer's Alabama is not in the College Football Playoff spots. However, the Tide can give themselves a good chance of making the playoffs if they beat LSU on Saturday, and they will also need to win their remaining games.
Here's a look at Alabama's schedule for the remainder of the 2024 regular season:
- Nov. 9: at LSU
- Nov. 16: vs. Mercer
- Nov. 23: at Oklahoma
- Nov. 30: vs. Auburn
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