SWAC Suspends Officials For In Game Errors
The Southwestern Athletic Conference has announced the suspension of the on-field officiating crew following last weekend's Alabama State-Prairie View A&M game on Saturday, October 8.
The announcement follows the league's thorough review of the game footage.
SWAC Coordinator of Officials Harold Mitchell handed the entire officiating crew a one-game suspension to be enforced during Week 8.
The error occurred during the first overtime period in which the officials awarded Prairie View A&M a touchdown on a 13-yard run. During the run, the ball carrier fumbled the ball, stepped out of bounds and then recovered the ball while it was still in the field of play prior to re-establishing his position in the field of play.
After review, the ball should have been placed at the one-yard line where the player first recovered the ball while out of bounds resulting in a dead ball and a first-and-goal. “This entire crew accepts responsibility for each play. We have taken this action because there must be accountability in our officiating program," SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp said. "Our member institutions expect the highest level of officiating and it is the responsibility of the conference office to make sure those expectations are met."
