Sports

Kenny Pickett Rule: Fake Slide Banned By NCAA Rules Committee

December 9, 2021 / 6:51 PM EST / CBS Pittsburgh

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By: KDKA-TV News Staff

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The controversy surrounding Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett's fake slide now has a resolution.

CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 04: Kenny Pickett (8) quarterback of Pitt. fakes a slide on his way to score a touchdown during the ACC Football Championship game between the Pitt Panthers and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on December 4, 2021, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The NCAA Rules Committee has outlawed the fake slide made famous by Pickett during a must-see touchdown run against Wake Forest in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game.

BREAKIN-- the #FakeSlide has been outlawed in NCAA Football Call it the Kenny Pickett rule
— Bob Pompeani (@KDPomp) December 9, 2021

Terry McAuley, a former NFL referee, said on Thursday that a fake slide will now lead to an immediate dead ball. The play is not reviewable.

As expected, a fake slide will cause the ball to become dead effective immediately. It is not reviewable. https://t.co/T6xTB1R2Zf pic.twitter.com/iOdx984OZo
— Terry McAulay (@SNFRules) December 9, 2021

On Dec. 4 against Wake Forest, Pickett pulled off a fake slide on his way to a 58-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

AFTER BURNERS ACTIVATE ????????????

Kenny Pickett 58-yards to the HOUSE.#ACCFCG | @Pitt_FB

???? @accnetwork
???? https://t.co/dXvEmbEk0H pic.twitter.com/JQiOVOWMgc
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) December 5, 2021

The play sparked controversy over player safety.

"You just train your players, as soon as your quarterback starts sliding, you stop because if you touch him it's going to be a penalty," Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson told ESPN after the game. "He started his slide, and our kids stopped playing. I don't think he did it intentionally, but if he did, he's brilliant. I just think he reacted as an athlete. But what do you tell your players? The quarterback is protected, and there are two guys there who could have made a play but stopped playing because he started to slide."

Pickett, according to ESPN, admitted after the game that he did the move on purpose.

"It was intentional," Pickett said. "I just kind of started slowing down and pulling up and getting ready to slide and I just kind of saw their body language and they just pulled up as well. ... I have never done that before. I just kind of kept going after I initially started to slide."