Retour
The NFL announced a season-ending injury for one of their officials after an accident during a game at Wembley Stadium in London last Sunday.
NFL official Larry Smith will be out for the remainder of the 2026 campaign with a torn quadricep, according to FootballZebras.com.
The turf at Wembley was particularly slick on Sunday for the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans and Smith was one of the many victims of losing his footing.
Smith slipped and fell on his back onto the turf. When he attempted to get back up, he fell again in between plays.
Training staff for both teams aided Smith before he was eventually taken off the field in a cart.
The officiating crew was knocked down to six members for the rest of the game as other officials split umpire responsibilities.
Smith was in the middle of his first NFL season of officiating after spending several years in college football and spring leagues.
The NFL will now need to find a replacement umpire for referee Shawn Hochuli's crew in Smith's stead.
Heavy rains fell in London prior to the game, leading to the poor conditions. Players were voicing issues with the field, which were relayed by sideline reporter Molly McGrath.
'There was a rainstorm pregame and this natural grass field is really slick […] Texans wide receiver Nico Collins was complaining to his coaches that it’s way too slippery out there,' she said on the NFL Network broadcast.
McGrath added: 'A lot of guys are getting grass stuck up in their cleats so they’re trying to rub it off on the sidelines. Collins actually changed his cleats to longer spikes.'
Despite the slickness, the Texans managed to pull off an upset victory with a 34-31 win.