A proposed rule change intended to discourage players from faking injuries that prompt unwarranted timeouts will be considered when the NCAA Football Rules Committee meets this month.
Feigning injuries, sometimes at the coach's instruction, has become a tactic defenses use to slow down tempo offenses or as a way for an offense to avoid a delay of game penalty or get an extra timeout.
The American Football Coaches Association submitted a proposal that would require a player who goes down on the field and receives medical attention to sit out the rest of that possession. Currently, the player must go out for one play before re-entering.
“The American Football Coaches Association is acutely concerned about this,” AFCA executive director Craig Bohl said. “It goes against the grain of the betterment of our game and the ethics. We crafted this, we floated this, and it’s been received well. I’m sure there’ll be some pushback. Our point (to detractors) is give us something better if you don’t like it.”
The proposal has carveouts. A coach can use a charged timeout to get the player back on the field during the current possession. A player injured by a hit that results in a penalty would be exempt. Also, the one player on offense and one on defense with a green dot on his helmet, indicating he's allowed to receive radio communication from the sideline, can re-enter after one play.
Injuries perceived to be feigned became such a hot topic in the Southeastern Conference last season that commissioner Greg Sankey put out a November memo admonishing teams. “As plainly as it can be stated: Stop any and all activity related to faking injuries to create time-outs,” he wrote.
The NCAA Football Rules Committee will meet the last week of February in Indianapolis, and the issue will be front and center. If the AFCA's proposal passes and is approved in the spring by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel, it would go into effect next season.
NCAA supervisor of officials Steve Shaw said Division I conference officiating coordinators gave their support during their annual meeting in Irving, Texas, last week. Shaw showed the coordinators a video montage of players feigning injuries, sometimes laughably so.
Shaw said anyone who doesn't think fake injuries are a problem would change their opinion after watching the video.
“Eventually, you're like, ‘This is awful. This is pitiful,’ "said Shaw, who doesn't have plans to make the video public.
One of the clips shows a player with what appears to be a cramp.
“The trainer walks him out and the guy has this huge grin on his face,” Shaw said. “The trainer makes him lay down and he does the typical stretching his leg out. The trainer is grinning at him, and (the player) pops right back up and he's up in the coaches' grouping to go back into the game.”
Bohl said the biggest offenders are rotational players, like defensive linemen and running backs.
“They look over to the sideline and the coach is pointing down, and they fall down and another guy goes in,” Bohl said. “By having that player have to sit out a whole possession, a coach, the ones skirting the rules are going to look and say, ‘Do I really want to disadvantage my team by losing a rotational player?’”
Bohl said if action isn't taken to eliminate fake injuries, the problem will get worse because coaches will decide if there is no deterrent, they are at a disadvantage if they don't have their players engage in the behavior as well.
Bohl said the AFCA proposal might not be perfect, but it should decrease the number of egregious instances of players faking injuries.
“The AFCA cannot stand by and look at the unethical behavior of what we’re doing in this aspect of our game,” he said.
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FILE - Then-Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl is seen in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Oct. 7, 2023, in Laramie, Wyo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
FILE - Steve Shaw, then-SEC supervisor of officials, speaks during the NCAA college football Southeastern Conference Media Days, July 16, 2019, in Hoover, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill, File)
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 20, 2025--
Please replace the release dated April 14, 2025, with the following corrected version due to multiple revisions.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250414378686/en/
The updated release reads:
GATIK’S SAFETY CASE AND FUNCTIONAL SAFETY APPROACHES UNDERWENT INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT FROM TÜV SÜD AS PART OF AN INDUSTRY-FIRST THIRD-PARTY REVIEW
Autonomous middle-mile logistics leader concludes critical phase of independent safety assessment ahead of deploying Freight-Only (driverless) trucks at scale in 2025
Gatik, the leader in autonomous middle-mile logistics, today announced that two major pillars of its Safety Assessment Framework were successfully reviewed by TÜV SÜD. Gatik’s methodological approach to both the Safety Case and Functional Safety phases of Gatik’s comprehensive Safety Assessment Framework were independently assessed, marking a significant milestone on the company’s path to safely launching Freight-Only commercial operations this year. TÜV SÜD, a globally recognized independent testing, inspection, and certification organization with extensive experience in autonomous system safety assurance, provided the independent, third-party assessment, finding that Gatik’s approach to the development of a comprehensive Safety Case and Functional Safety was in adherence to the requirements of TÜV SÜD’s Autonomous Vehicle Conformity Framework, a globally-recognized process for evaluating autonomous vehicle safety across development, testing and deployment domains.
While self-certification has become the accepted standard for safety in the autonomous vehicle industry, Gatik’s Safety Assessment Framework enables traceability and transparency to all claims of safety that are made by virtue of an independent assessment. TÜV SÜD’s Autonomous Vehicle Conformity Framework involves an end-to-end review of Gatik’s Functional Safety portfolios, including the following key elements: Operational Design Domain (ODD), Item Definition, Testing, Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment (HARA), Coverage/Safety Analysis and Safety Culture. Importantly, these items and all others related to safety, trace to a comprehensive Safety Case allowing for appropriate oversight of the entire system. TÜV SÜD’s review, which is a preliminary assessment of Gatik’s approach to Safety Case development and Functional Safety, serves as a progress checkpoint, confirming that Gatik’s approach is aligned with TÜV SÜD’s internal requirements under the Autonomous Vehicle Conformity Framework to support the successful development of Freight-Only (driverless) trucks at scale, while establishing a pathway for future compliance with relevant standards.
“We strongly believe that the future of autonomous vehicles will be defined by those who prioritize safety above all else,” said Gautam Narang, Gatik’s CEO and co-founder. “This independent review of our Safety Case and Functional Safety methodology represents a radical departure from the self-certified safety audits that have become the industry norm. By engaging TÜV SÜD to provide this review from an external vantage point, Gatik is setting a new benchmark for the industry – one that puts safety and transparency at the forefront of the autonomous vehicle revolution.”
“From the beginning, Gatik’s approach to safety has been defined by an uncompromising commitment to the highest standards, both internal and external” said Dr. Adam Campbell, Gatik’s Head of Safety. “The independent assessment that we have pursued at Gatik meets the level of transparency that policymakers, first responders, business partners, and everyday drivers expect and deserve. In our view, TÜV SÜD’s assessment represents a tremendous vote of confidence in our approaches to scaling safety in our Safety Assessment Framework, serving as the foundation for our launch of Freight-Only commercial operations at scale this year.”
Gatik’s Safety Assessment Framework encompasses over 700 identified safety portfolios to address key pillars of AV safety: organizational safety culture, engineering quality (functional, behavioral and operational safety of the self-driving system), cyber security, vehicle safety, and Safety Case conformity to UL4600 and other industry standards. As part of the company’s commitment to transparency and accountability across all aspects of its approach to safe testing and deployment, Gatik will be publicly sharing further information on progress made towards completion of the Safety Assessment Framework prior to deployment of Freight-Only operations.
About Gatik
Gatik AI Inc., the leader in autonomous middle-mile logistics, is revolutionizing B2B supply chains by enabling safe, consistent, high-frequency freight movement. Gatik’s AI-Driven Autonomy is transforming short-haul logistics for Fortune 500 retailers, and in 2021 the company launched the world’s first driverless commercial transportation service with Walmart. Gatik’s medium-duty autonomous trucks are commercially deployed in multiple markets including Texas, Arkansas, Arizona, and Ontario. Gatik partners with industry leaders including Isuzu Motors, NVIDIA, Cummins, Ryder, and Goodyear. Founded in 2017 by veterans of the autonomous technology industry, the company has offices in Mountain View, Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix and Toronto.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, statements regarding future business strategies, plans, objectives, and anticipated performance. These forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations and beliefs of Gatik and are subject to various risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements.
Factors that could impact these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, changes in market conditions, economic factors, competitive dynamics, regulatory developments, and unforeseen operational challenges. Gatik undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release.
While self-certification has become the accepted standard for safety in the autonomous vehicle industry, Gatik’s Safety Assessment Framework enables traceability and transparency to all claims of safety that are made by virtue of an independent assessment.
