Sunday’s NFL game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans was played at Wembley Stadium in London. The field was extremely slippery after heavy rain fell throughout pregame.
An official had to be carted off of the field because of the questionable playing surface!
Unfortunately, this continues to be a recurring trend with these international games. The NFL does not seem to care.
A referee slipped and fell.
It did not take long for the London game to get weird. Umpire Larry Smith suffered a severe knee injury during the first quarter. He was walking toward the sideline, slipped on the wet grass, and fell to the ground.
His knee gave out on him when he tried to get back to his feet.
Ref slipped on a banana & tore his ACL pic.twitter.com/TH49BjqQJG
— Fitz (@LaurieFitzptrck) October 18, 2026
The referee could not walk off of the field under his own power and needed the medical cart to take him back into the tunnel.
NFL referee Larry Smith is being carted off the field during the London game. pic.twitter.com/mfhNENKHvA
— Aggregate (@AggregateSports) October 18, 2026
Although Smith was likely embarrassed by the extremely viral moment and the pageantry of his exit, his injury exemplified a much large issue. It wasn’t like he stepped awkwardly. Nor did he trip. He slipped on the wet field!
Field conditions at Wembley Stadium in London were poor.
Players on both teams struggled to find their footing throughout the first half. Molly McGrath revealed their frustrations from the sideline.
“You mentioned the footing. There was a rainstorm pregame and this natural grass field is really slick […] Texans wide receiver Nico Collins was complaining to his coaches that it’s way too slippery out there. A lot of guys are getting grass stuck up in their cleats so they’re trying to rub it off on the sidelines. Collins actually changed his cleats to longer spikes.”
The field at Wembley Stadium looked like a slip-and-slide. Smith blew out his knee. Parker Washington would’ve caught a touchdown in the second quarter if he had not slipped on his route. Dalton Schultz failed to get open because his feet slipped out from under him. Even the defense was unable to tackle because they could not reach the ball-carrier without falling to the ground.
This continues to be an issue with the NFL International Series. The league continues to play games on fields that are either not equipped for American football, lack proper drainage for inclement weather, or both! It only cares about profits and exposure. It does not seem to care about the health of its players or, in this case, officials.