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Sunday’s Week 1 slate of season-opening action across the NFL featured the intense, exciting games we love from pro football, but it also featured a good chunk of the violence and injury also associated with the sport (see: Terrell Suggs, Dez Bryant, Josh McCown, etc.). And that damage wasn’t limited to just players, either.
According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, NFL line judge Gary Arthur suffered a broken collarbone, broken ribs and a collapsed lung while working Sunday’s Ravens-Broncos game in Denver. The incident happened thanks to a sideline collision during a punt in the first quarter, when Arthur got knocked over from behind by a Ravens player. It didn’t appear to be intentional but, as you can see in the replay above, Arthur wasn’t expecting the contact and was sent violently to the turf, where he landed on his shoulder and side.
The official was clearly in a significant amount of pain and remained seated on the field for a little while before being carted to the locker room and taken to a nearby hospital. The NFL is expected to find a long-term replacement for Arthur, who is in his 19th season in the league, as they allow him to recover.
Hopefully Week 2 will bring better health and luck for both players and officials alike.