Published October 20, 2026 12:51 PM
NFL official Larry Smith suffered a season-ending injury on Sunday in London.
Smith, who serves as the umpire on referee Shawn Hochuli’s crew, suffered a torn quadricep and is out for the season, according to FootballZebras.com.
Smith slipped on the wet grass at Wembley Stadium and fell on his back, tried to get up and fell again between plays. Trainers from both teams attended to him and he was eventually taken off the field on a cart. The officiating crew was down to six for the rest of the game, with other officials splitting the umpire’s responsibilities.
This is Smith’s first season officiating in the NFL after several seasons working in college football and spring leagues. Now he’ll sit out and won’t work another game until 2027.
The NFL will have to find a replacement umpire for Hochuli’s crew for the rest of the season. The league always has some officials lined up who can join a crew during the season when needed.