The hat took the worst of it, but after Easter Michigan University quarterback Mike Glass III struck the bill of a referee’s hat, the referee went crashing to the ground.
The trouble started late in the fourth quarter of the Quick Lane Bowl Thursday night, Glass got into a scuffle with Pittsburgh linebacker Cam Bright. Glass landed a smack on Bright’s facemask. Glass then fired off another shot at a different Pitt player, but this one found an official’s hat instead.
“Glass — who was 28-50 for 311 yards and 2 TDs and an interception — was hit with 2 unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and ejected from the game,” TMZ Sports reports.
“Glass’ Michigan squad lost the game to Pittsburgh, 34-30 … ending their season.”
Eastern Michigan head coach Chris Creighton told reporters after the game that his quarterback was “in tears,” over the incident.
“I love him 100 percent. And thank God he is highly competitive, but absolutely zero excuse for what happened, and [Mike] knows it,” Creighton said.
A lively debate ensued on Twitter, over whether the ref had been legitimately knocked to the ground, or if he flopped.
You be the judge.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn