Syracuse's Fran Brown Addresses ACC Fining Team for Faking Injuries vs. Clemson

The ACC fined Syracuse for faking injuries in their win over Clemson.

The ACC fined Syracuse for faking injuries in their win over Clemson on Saturday. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The ACC will be fining Syracuse $25,000 for violating a rule established this year that punishes players for faking injuries in an attempt to stop the game clock.

With 9:25 remaining in the fourth quarter of Syracuse's win over Clemson, the team took an injury timeout over a regular timeout for two players. The ACC said of this in their statement, "The actions by the two players—especially with the concurrent action by the coach in the team area—were a clear attempt to gain an unmerited advantage by stopping the game in order to secure an injury timeout."

Syracuse was leading Clemson 34-14 at the time of the injury timeout, and Clemson went on to score a touchdown on that drive.

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik initially pointed out the orange faking injuries, saying in his postgame press conference, "We were playing with tempo. Props to them, they stopped us on some third downs at certain times. Then they'd have an injury or something like that when we really got going. That's up to them if they wanna be honest about that."

Following the ACC's statement, head coach Fran Brown addressed the punishment.

"What I don't wanna do is take away from the fact of our players going out and winning a game against one of the better teams in the country, one of the better programs in the country, one of the best coaches in the country," Brown said Monday. "They won eight out of the last 10 conference championships, they won two national championships. I don't wanna take that away of what our players have done or make it less than what it is. They made a decision, that whatever decision they make as our administration says, that's what we're going to go with. I gotta follow that."

Here's everything Fran Brown said re: ACC fine.
SU put out a statement saying they will pay the fine.

"...As our administration says that's what we're going to go with...I gotta follow that...I gotta do what Mr. Wildhack [Syracuse AD] stated for me to make sure we move on." https://t.co/7F3ryHVZ7U pic.twitter.com/filT7vEC3N

— Samantha Croston (@SamCroston1) September 22, 2025

Brown added that he is simply trying to move on and focus on their upcoming game against Duke. Syracuse responded to the ACC with a statement of their own, which read they accept the "reprimand and fine."

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