Referee Trampled in Fight at End of Alabama-Auburn Game

It was a rough ending to the game for the officiating crew.

After Alabama’s improbable late touchdown pass from quarterback Jalen Milroe to wide receiver Isaiah Bond that helped the Crimson tide avoid Auburn’s Iron Bowl upset bid, a fight broke out among the players of both teams on the ensuing kickoff.

As the officials tried to break the fight up, the game’s lead referee got tangled up and trampled on by multiple players. He appeared to be O.K. after the incident, which led to multiple offsetting penalties, but it was a scary moment in the midst of the chaos.

After falling to the ground, it appears that most of the pile missed him, and he was helped to his feet by Auburn tight end Luke Deal.

A fight just broke out between Alabama and Auburn and the referee got trampled on. Not sure I’ve seen anything like that before. pic.twitter.com/pUHppndYIE

— Alex (@htowncritic) November 26, 2023

It’s not the first time in the contest that the officials were the subject of the conversation. A missed first quarter facemask penalty had CBS Sports’ Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson at a total loss for words.

The Crimson Tide escaped with a 27–24 victory ahead of next Saturday’s SEC title game and kept its College Football Playoff hopes alive.