This is the scary moment an NFL referee was slammed to the turf in the first half of the Super Bowl on Sunday night.
The unsavory incident, which occurred with 9:58 remaining in the second quarter of the game, left players rushing to help the stricken official on the Seahawks sideline.
NBC’s TV coverage – being watched by over 100 million around the world – captured the moment the ref was thrust into shot, his shoulder slamming into the ground.
He then landed on his front and somehow managed to jump straight up as players began to rush to help him after the terrifying moment.
It is unclear exactly who he was hit by, with Patriots’ 6-foot-4, 221lb receiver Mack Hollins and the Seahawks’ 5-foot-11, 195lb safety both involved in the play right by the sideline.
On social media, fans quickly reacted to the moment, with one viewer writing: ‘This NFL ref got WRECKED.’
This is the scary moment an NFL referee was slammed to the turf in the first half of Super Bowl
Another joked that the player ‘tried to put the ref in concussion protocol’, while a third simply claimed: ‘Wow!!!’
In the game itself, the Seahawks took an early foothold but there were no touchdowns in sight and both offenses struggled to get going in a drab first half.
Quarterbacks Drake Maye and Sam Darnold struggled to find any sort of rhythm in the first 15 minutes, with the second quarter offering little more in the way of entertainment.
Kenneth Walker III did attempt to inject some life into the proceedings with a handful of promising runs, but there was no touchdown from either team in the entire first half.
The Seahawks did head in at the interval with a 9-0 lead, however, after kicker Jason Myers scored three field goals at Levi’s Stadium.
