Giants Faking Injuries: Monday Night's Theatrics Prompt NFL to Drop the Hammer

It looks like at least something interesting came from the incredibly sloppy and boring New York Giants win over the St. Louis Rams on Monday night.

Well then again, anytime you get the NFL to further enforce certain rules…maybe that’s not such a good thing.

ESPN’s camera’s caught Deon Grant of the Giants collapsing into a heap a good five to eight seconds after the previous play as the Rams were in the heart of their no-huddle, hurry-up offense. This effectively stalled the Rams, and they had to settle for a field goal on the drive.

Now the league has sent out a memo to all 32 teams in the league warning them of the repercussions that will be enforced if there is a blatant fake injury. Here is an excerpt from the memo:

"

Going forward, be advised that should the league office determine that there is reasonable cause, all those suspected of being involved in faking injuries will be summoned promptly to this office...to discuss the matter. Those found to be violators will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action for conduct detrimental to the game.

"

While the Rams' red zone woes are the main culprit for their loss, it was clear that taking the injury timeout during that specific juncture killed all of their momentum on the drive.

It’s a sticky situation for the league office.

They are forced to call out players that look to be faking injuries despite having no confirmation. Despite how obvious the fake injury looked, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin played dumb and stuck up for his player…something any coach would do.

Any action from the league would be meet with a strong denial from the player and his coach, no matter how obvious is looks.

With so many real injuries occurring every game (the Giants lost Domenik Hixon to a torn ACL and Mario Manningham to a concussion on Monday), it’s going to be a tricky line for the league to walk.

Is this issue going to replace concussions and helmet-to-helmet hits as the hot topic in the league?

It sure looks like it will.