East Carolina safety David Coleman Jr. is recovering from a broken leg he suffered during the Pirates 17-9 win over Temple. What's shocking is that the injury didn't happen during a play.

An American Conference official went viral after sliding into the back of Coleman, forcing his legs to fold. Back judge Jonathan Zenquis crashed into him after a play. The bizarre moment inside Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium stopped the game as Coleman was helped off the field.

There haven't been many accidents like this pop up in the midst of a game. Coleman suffered a fractured fibula as a result of the collision, as confirmed by ECU head coach Blake Harrell.

A referee just broke one of our players legs. You can’t make this up pic.twitter.com/QnqK3e3uEV

— No Quarter ECU (@ECU_NoQuarter) October 31, 2026

"The official was coming down to make sure a few guys heard the whistle, make sure they separated," Harrell said after the game. "Sometimes those guys don't hear the whistle. As he's coming down, he slips. He falls into Coleman. DC got an x-ray at halftime, and he fractured his fibula there. Our thoughts and prayers are with him."

Coleman, a three-star freshman from Kingsland, Georgia, committed to the Pirates as a high school recruit. He's noted was noted as the 125th safety in the 2026 class. He racked up 7 tackles this season, mostly on special teams.

East Carolina hosts South Florida on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. 

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