The SEC has suspended referee Ken Williamson for the rest of the season following his crew’s performance in Georgia’s win over Auburn on Oct. 11, ESPN reports. Williamson was the crew chief for that game, a 20-10 win for the Bulldogs, which featured a number of questionable calls.
CBS Sports’ John Talty reached out to the league for comment, but was told the SEC “does not comment on personnel matters”. CBS Sports can confirm that Williamson did not officiate last week, but the rest of his assigned crew did — and will not officiate another game for the rest of the season for the league.
Williamson and his crew took center stage for all the wrong reasons in the Auburn vs. Georgia game. Late in the first half, with Auburn leading 10-0, quarterback Jackson Arnold appeared to score before the ball was knocked out of his hands on the goal line. However, officials ruled it a fumble on the field, and the call was upheld despite replay appearing to show Arnold breaking the plane with possession.
In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs led 13-10 when Kirby Smart ran up to the side judge and appeared to call a timeout. Once the clock was blown dead, Smart argued he was telling he official that Auburn defenders were clapping in an attempt to create a false start for the offense. The broadcast replay showed Smart making what looked like a timeout signal with his hands, but he and the Bulldogs were allowed to keep the timeout anyway.
Auburn coach Hugh Freeze and Arnold both downplayed the controversial calls’ effect on the game, but the seven-point swing was an obvious turning point in the contest.
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