An American college football player, David Coleman Jr, has suffered a fractured fibula after a match official accidentally slipped and collided with him during East Carolina Pirates’ 17-9 victory over Temple Owls.
The unusual incident occurred on Saturday, October 31, during the first half of the American college football game at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina.
Coleman, an East Carolina defensive back, was standing alongside his teammates between plays when an official ran towards the players near the 40-yard line.
As the official approached from behind, he reportedly lost his footing and slid into Coleman, sending the young defender tumbling onto the playing surface.
The impact left Coleman on the ground for several moments as teammates and medical personnel attended to him.
He was eventually helped off the field by two teammates, who carried him to prevent him from putting weight on his injured leg.
According to BBC Sport, East Carolina head coach Blake Harrell subsequently confirmed that an X-ray examination conducted at half-time revealed a fractured fibula.
Speaking about the incident, Harrell expressed sympathy for the injured player, describing the circumstances surrounding the injury as unusual.
“Our thoughts and our prayers are with him. But that’s just one of those things. Kind of wild it happens, I’d never seen that from an official,” the coach said.
Harrell also explained that the official had been moving towards the players to ensure they heard the whistle and separated following the previous action when he slipped and fell into Coleman.
The injury was particularly unfortunate because it happened during a break in play rather than through contact with an opposing player.
Coleman managed to record one tackle before being forced out of the contest following the collision.
Despite losing the defensive back, East Carolina maintained its advantage to secure a 17-9 victory over Temple.
The Pirates established an early lead through Ashton Gray, who scored a first-quarter touchdown to put the home side ahead 7-0.
Temple responded with a field goal in the second quarter, but East Carolina extended its advantage before half-time through another field goal from Noah Perez.
Running back TJ Engleman Jr added a third-quarter touchdown to increase the Pirates’ lead to 17-3.
Temple managed two additional field goals in the second half but could not complete a comeback as East Carolina held on for the eight-point victory.
The result improved East Carolina’s record to 4-4 for the season, giving the Pirates an important victory after consecutive overtime defeats to UAB and Memphis.
Coleman’s injury, however, became one of the most talked-about moments from the encounter after footage of the collision circulated on social media.
The incident attracted attention because of the unusual circumstances in which the defensive back sustained the injury, with the match official inadvertently causing the collision while moving across the field.
Coleman is a freshman defensive back from Kingsland, Georgia, who joined East Carolina as part of its 2026 recruiting class.
The university had not announced a specific recovery timetable in the initial reports surrounding the incident.
The injury has also drawn attention to the risks players face during seemingly routine moments of a football game, including interactions with match officials moving around the playing surface.
For East Carolina, the immediate concern will be Coleman’s recovery as the Pirates continue their campaign following the victory over Temple.
