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Xavier Watts clowned after going down with apparent fake injury vs. Georgia
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Xavier Watts went down with an apparent foot injury midway through the 2nd quarter of the Sugar Bowl on Thursday.
While that would normally be a cause for concern for the Fighting Irish, a closer look at the incident shows a different story. Watts was sprinting off the field with his right shoe in hand when he decided to hit the turf and seek medical attention.
Watts’ injury briefly stopped the game. Crucially, it also halted Georgia’s momentum after the Bulldogs had just moved the chains with a 21-yard completion.
Here’s a look at Watts as he was running off the field before going down:
Watts was required to miss the next play by NCAA rule, but was back in for the Fighting Irish defense after serving that brief ban from the field. Georgia ended up being forced to punt on that series.
Feigning injuries was a hot topic earlier this season, particularly in the SEC. League commissioner Greg Sankey put a stop to it midway through the year, though, with a memo threatening significant punishments for any teams or players found to be faking injuries in SEC games. That doesn’t necessarily extend to CFP contests, however.
Here’s some of the strong reaction on social media to Watts’ apparent fake injury:
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
