The NFL believes Saints defensive end Cam Jordan faked an injury on Monday night against the Buccaneers. The Saints strenuously object.
The Saints have issued a statement disputing the contention. Jordan has done so, loudly; his agent has called the punishment “idiotic” and “a joke.”
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the team’s frustration is rooted in a belief that the league didn’t properly investigate the situation. As the source explains it, the league didn’t contact the Saints to obtain information regarding the evaluation of Jordan’s sprained foot, the MRI that was conducted, the treatment he has received all week, or anything else related to the situation.
And while the source concedes that video exists of a position coach telling Jordan to go down, the Saints dispute the notion that the video constitutes some sort of smoking gun. Coaches routinely tell injured players who are limping toward the sideline to stop.
There are several circumstantial elements that the Saints believe bolster their case. Jordan is their best defensive player; if anyone was going to fake an injury (and miss the next play), it wouldn’t have been him. Also, the Saints had their full complement of timeouts. If they feared that the Bucs would hurry to the line and go for it on fourth and 10, they could have used one of them.
Whether that matters on appeal remains to be seen. The league is intent on policing any and all fake injuries, so as not to be complicit in any assaults on the integrity of the game -- especially in an age of widespread legalized gambling.
Again, five teams have been whacked by the league so far this year for fake injuries. One or more could prevail on appeal.
Except for maybe the Bengals. There’s simply no way to explain away the phantom injury that caused safety Jessie Bates to fall down and grab his leg as the Chiefs were coming to the line and Cincinnati substitutions were trying to enter the game.
