Referee Injured By Cannon at Maine Maritime Academy Football Game [VIDEO]

On Saturday, September 21, police were dispatched to Maine Maritime Academy after a referee was injured by a cannon at the homecoming football game.

There's a tradition that when the Maine Maritime Academy Mariners football team scores, a cannon is shot using a blank shotgun shell.

However, an alumnus brought his own cannon to the game and "loaded" it with black powder and a substance that he had made into a "wad," according to a news release from the Hancock County Sheriff's Office.

When he shot the canon off, one of the referees on the football field was struck in the head causing injury, police said. The referee was forced to leave the field, and went to a local hospital for treatment for what police believe to be non-life threatening injuries.

The investigation continues by the Hancock County Sheriff's Office and is being forwarded to the District Attorney's office pending potential criminal charges.

News Center Maine is reporting that MMA will no longer allow devices at games.