NEW YORK, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- The NFL is warning teams against faking injuries as a tactic to slow down an opponent's offense, a leaked memo indicated Wednesday.
The memo, obtained and published by ESPN, was sent to NFL team presidents, general managers, head coaches and public relations executives. It threatened them with stiff penalties including fines, suspensions or forfeiture of draft picks for faking injuries.
The subject came up after New York Giants safety Deon Grant was accused by the St. Louis Rams of faking an injury as the Rams were pushing down the field in a no-huddle offense during the first quarter of Monday's 28-16 Rams loss.
Rams head Coach Steve Spagnuolo said after the contest he had notified the NFL he believed the Giants had faked an injury.
Spagnuolo said the NFL needed to intervene because game referees are powerless to stop such illegal tactics.
"They can't make the decision if somebody is hurt or not hurt," the Rams' coach said. "You just don't know that."
