Texas A&M Aggies Coach Mike Elko Weighs In On Fake Injury Debate: 'Both-Side Problem'

Faking injuries has been a major topic of discussion in college football over the last few weeks, and when asked about it by the media, Texas A&M Aggies coach Mike Elko had a passionate answer.

Sep 21, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko reacts during the second quarter against the Bowling Green Falcons at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Faking injuries has been a major topic of discussion in college football over the last few weeks.

That debate has been most frequently discussed as it pertains to the Ole Miss Rebels, who have faced a substantial amount of backlash for their egregious use of the practice throughout the first half of the season.

It was so bad, in fact, that the Rebels ended up releasing a statement on the issue, ensuring that they would "conduct themselves properly and are compliant in this matter" going forward.

However, the Rebels are not the only team that have taken advantage of the rules in this way. As a matter of fact, in 2022, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin was extremely unhappy about Texas A&M doing the very same thing.

Texas A&M Aggies coach Mike Elko was asked about the increasingly widespread issue in college football on Monday and did not mince his words, noting that sometimes for the defense in particular, there is no other option.

“Can I be a defensive coordinator for a minute? Something has to be the other way too,” Elko said to the media on Monday. “The speed at which we play the game in college, you have a kid’s shoelace come untied, nobody bails him out. And so he’s out there, the offense is sprinting to the line, they’re about to snap the ball. What do you want the kid to do?”

That is not to say that Elko is advocating for fake injuries having a place in the game.

Instead, what he is arguing is that college football offenses have a distinct advantage over defenses when it comes to pace of play, and he simply wants more rules in place to make it a more even playing field.

“The way we allow offenses to just go with no respite for the defense at all puts defensive kids at risk,” Elko said. “Do we condone faking injuries? No. But I can go back to when I was here as the defensive coordinator, and certain programs felt as though we did that at times. It was a kid having to stop the game because there was no other way to stop the game. Not necessarily because we were using it as our advantage for third down or to get a group on the field, but because he couldn’t play the next stop and no one was going to help him.”

So what is the solution? Elko didn't offer one, and to be fair, there might not be an easy fix to the problem.

Part of what the NFL does to deter fake injuries seems to work when it comes to on-field discipline and suspensions. And those are things the college game could implement.

The other part, which includes fines that could go up to $350,000 for the team, $100,000 for the head coach, $50,000 for assistant coaches, and $50,000 for players, is a bit more difficult.

If you ask Elko though, he believes that rules should be implemented on both sides of the ball that both deter fake injuries from the defense, as well as put limits on the pace of play from the offense.

“I think it’s a both-side problem,” Elko said. “I think it’s a bad look for the game when you see defensive players faking injuries all over the place. I think it’s a bad look for the game when we allow offenses to go at whatever speed and tempo they want to go at. I think it’s certainly something that probably needs to be addressed on both sides in some way, shape, or form.”

Either way, it will be some time - likely at least until the offseason - before we see a new rule actually implemented into the college game to resolve these issues in any way.

Until then, the issue will likely continue to go unchecked.