The Aporia
Gamba-Ellis, T. (2026, November 1). Referee accidentally sends East Carolina player to hospital with bizarre collision. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/31/sports/referee-injures-eastern-carolinas-david-coleman-jr-in-collision/
Gamba-Ellis, Thomas. “Referee accidentally sends East Carolina player to hospital with bizarre collision.” New York Post, 1 Nov. 2026, https://nypost.com/2026/10/31/sports/referee-injures-eastern-carolinas-david-coleman-jr-in-collision/.
Gamba-Ellis, Thomas. “Referee accidentally sends East Carolina player to hospital with bizarre collision.” New York Post, November 1, 2026. https://nypost.com/2026/10/31/sports/referee-injures-eastern-carolinas-david-coleman-jr-in-collision/.
Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.
On November 1, 2026, during a game between Eastern Carolina (ECU) and Temple at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, David Coleman Jr., an ECU safety, was accidentally injured by a referee who slipped and fell into him while running closer to the play. The collision occurred in between plays as ECU's defense set up its formation, causing Coleman to be helped off the field and taken to the hospital. According to On3 reporting, Coleman likely suffered a fractured fibula from the accident, though details of his injury and return timeline remain unclear.
The incident happened during ECU’s 17-9 victory over Temple, marking their fourth win of the season. Despite this recent success, Blake Harrell, head coach of the Pirates, noted in an earlier interview that it had been a tough two weeks for the team, with overtime losses to Alabama-Birmingham and Memphis.