ACC Hits Syracuse with $25,000 Fine for Faking Injuries in Clemson Game

Syracuse University has to pay $25,000 - the maximum fine allowed under ACC rules - after players pretended to be injured during their victory over Clemson. The game ended 34-21.

With just over 9 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, a calculated move played out. A coach sent hidden signals from the sidelines, causing two players to fall down. This move violated the ACC's ethics code.

"We were playing with tempo... they stopped us on some third downs and then they have an injury or something like that when we really got going," said Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik to ESPN.

The money will go to help student-athletes through the Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship fund. The plan came apart when officials caught defensive players Nissi Ogbebor and Kevin Jobity Jr. dropping to the ground after a big 23-yard play.

Both the ACC and the National Football Officials Coordinator looked into the incident. Their conclusion? The fake injuries went too far, undermining the purpose of safety timeouts.

The rules require teams to use up a timeout when players get hurt after the ball is set. Syracuse got around this rule by having players fall before placement - a clever but unethical strategy.

This wasn't Syracuse's first time under scrutiny. In Week 1 against Tennessee, similar rumors circulated about fake injuries, though nothing came of it then.

The ACC put tough new rules in place this year to prevent teams from using fake injuries to slow down games. With this hefty fine, they've made it clear they're serious about stopping these tactics.