Pac 12 referee Chris Coyte was asked by reporter Adam Sparks to clarify the ejection of Kentucky running back Benny Snell during the second quarter of the Music City Bowl.
CHRIS COYTE (Music City Bowl head referee and the official who was contacted by Benny Snell)
Clarification of Benny Snell ejection:
“I was on top of the play. And the player got up and grabbed my arms and pushed them away and contacted me. That’s a foul.”
Did Snell say anything beyond the contact that influenced the ejection?
“No”
Can there be incidental contact between a player and an official?
“Yes”
Was this contact incidental?
“It was not.”
Is it accurate to phrase this as ‘intentional contact’?
“That’s how I ruled. Yes.”
If you have seen the video of the play in question, it looks like the referee is the one who initiated the contact with Snell.
This is the worst call I have seen in all my years of covering and watching college football.
