Referee falls and TRIPS Lamar Jackson in the end zone causing the Ravens quarterback to be called for intentional grounding and a safety, leaving NFL fans fuming
- Jackson, under pressure, dropped back to pass and continued to retreat
- The officer stepped back to keep up with the signal caller, but stumbled back
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Lamar Jackson intentionally went to the ground after tripping over a fallen referee in the end zone, giving the San Francisco 49ers an easy opening lead on Christmas Day.
The Baltimore Ravens faced Brock Purdy and co. in the final NFL game of Christmas Day, in what could be a preview of this season's Super Bowl.
But the highly anticipated game got off to a bizarre start when the opening score of the game was handed to the Niners by a referee who fell.
Umpire Alex Moore was well behind the play when Jackson, under pressure, dropped back to pass and continued to retreat.
In an attempt to keep up with the retreating quarterback and avoid getting caught up in the action, Moore continued to backpedal, but his feet caught him and he stumbled back.
Lamar Jackson deliberately went to the ground after tripping over a fallen referee
The referee tripped into the path of the approaching Ravens quarterback in the end zone
The safety gave the San Francisco 49ers an easy opening score on Christmas Day
The official fell backward into the path of the oncoming Jackson in the end zone and the Ravens signal caller tripped over his outstretched arm.
As he began to fall to the ground, Jackson attempted to release the ball before it hit the turf, but because he could not get past the line of scrimmage, he had to intentionally ground him.
Additionally, because the incident occurred in the end zone, the penalty was ruled a safety.
Moore later appeared to grin during the ESPN broadcast and NFL fans on social media railed against him.
“That referee Trippin Lamar Jackson got money on the 49ers,” one fan account jokingly suggested.
“Ref falls on his a**…trips Lamar…Aikman laughs hysterically about it…perfect summary of the ref this season,” said another.
Meanwhile, another posted a slightly milder response: “The referee laughing after tripping Lamar Jackson in the end zone isn't great.”
“The referee literally lost his balance and tripped Lamar Jackson. This is a new low for NFL officials. What else was Lamar supposed to do?' one account requested.