East Carolina’s 17-9 win over Temple on Saturday was fairly par-for-course, with the exception of one notable incident that had social media abuzz.
Partway through the contest, Pirates defensive back David Coleman Jr. found himself on the wrong end of a devastating challenge that left him limping. The person who imposed the collision that sparked his apparent injury? None other than one of the match’s referees.
With that, here’s what you need to know about Coleman’s injury, as well as the man who caused it.
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East Carolina player helped off field after being injured by falling referee
Coleman was caught by a referee while attempting to return to his position between plays.
This is wild… East Carolina had a player badly injured after a ref slipped and slid into his leg. https://t.co/aXz5an83Ec
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) October 31, 2026
The referee raced towards the line of scrimmage before changing directions. As he stepped off, he slipped, putting him right into the path of the East Carolina defensive back’s right leg.
Coleman’s landed awkwardly as he went down, with his left appearing to bend in an unnatural position. He laid on the field for a brief period before being helped to his feet and escorted to the sideline. He was unable to put any weight on his right leg as he was carried to the medical tent.
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Who was the referee that injured David Coleman Jr.?
Coleman appeared to be cut down by Jonathan Kirk, who served as the game’s umpire. Kirk looked to be running towards his natural position in front of the safeties when he injured Coleman.
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