A referee was injured at Maine Maritime Academy on Saturday when a cannon blast set off behind the endzone hit him in the head.
It’s academy tradition to set the cannon off after the team scores, but according to the Bangor Daily News, authorities say an alumnus of the school who brought his own cannon to Saturday’s homecoming game against Massachusetts Maritime Academy had loaded it with black powder and “a substance that he had made into a wad.
The referee was struck by the wad and was taken to the hospital with what is considered non-threatening life injuries
The school put out a statement on a cannon blast and the alumnus’ canon
was fired from outside the fence behind the end zone. One of the game officials was proceeding along the end line when the cannon was fired and was struck by packing material from the cannon. The Academy’s president has directed that these devices will no longer be permitted on campus for future events.”
To add insult to injury, Maine Maritime ended up losing the game to Massachusetts Maritime Academy, 42-21.