NFL umpire Larry Smith out for season with torn quadricep after Wembley slip

The NFL is down an official for the rest of the season. Umpire Larry Smith tore a quadricep when he slipped on the wet grass at Wembley Stadium during Sunday's London game and will not work again until 2027, according to FootballZebras.com.

Smith, the umpire on referee Shawn Hochuli's crew, went down between plays. He fell on his back, tried to get up and fell again, and trainers from both teams attended to him before he was taken off the field on a cart. The crew finished the game with six officials, with the remaining members splitting the umpire's responsibilities.

It is a harsh ending to what was Smith's first season officiating in the NFL after several years working college football and spring leagues, and it lands amid heightened scrutiny of field conditions in the league's international games, after players raised surface concerns about the Brazil game earlier this season; Sunday's slip came on wet turf in London.