Referee Ken Williamson has been suspended by the SEC for the remainder of the 2025 season after a number of controversial rulings in Georgia’s 20-10 win over Auburn on Oct. 11, per ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and Pete Thamel.
Williamson was the crew chief during the contest.
Per ESPN’s report, Williamson had told SEC officials before the season that he planned to retire at the end of the 2025 campaign.
Two main calls caused controversy during Oct. 11’s high-profile matchup.
The first came late in the first half, when Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold attempted to score a touchdown on a quarterback sneak near the goal line, only to have the ball punched away and the fumble recovered by Georgia. It was called a fumble on the field and was upheld on replay, though it appeared that the ball may have crossed the plane before being dislodged.
The second came in the fourth quarter, when Georgia head coach Kirby Smart appeared to signal for a timeout and the official stopped the clock. But Smart argued that he was only clapping his hands, trying to alert the official that Auburn’s players were clapping their hands in an effort to copy Georgia’s signals, which if true would be a penalty.
Georgia ultimately wasn’t charged a timeout, the play clock was reset despite being at one second when the play was called dead and it created another hugely controversial moment in the game.
“Go lip read, because I’m screaming, ‘They’re clapping!'” Smart told reporters after the game. “They’re clapping. I didn’t need a timeout because we were going to get it off before the shot clock. It was [two seconds, one second…]. We’re going to get it off before the play clock ended, and I didn’t need a timeout. It was the fact that they were clapping. I wanted him to call it because it’s a penalty.”
Perhaps, but replay showed Smart making a hand motion that looked identical to the two-handed “T” gesture for a timeout.
Additionally, Williamson missed a targeting penalty against Auburn’s Kayin Lee in the second quarter, though replay assist saw the helmet-to-helmet contact and the cornerback was ultimately ejected.
