The shocking moment a veteran basketball referee was knocked out cold as player accidentally elbowed him at tip-off

Referee Rick Crawford was officiating the consolation game between LaSalle and Vanderbilt at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in New York on Saturday. Shortly after the tip off, he was inadvertently struck in the face by Vanderbilt's center Damian Jones' elbow. He immediately went down and was on the hardwood with both of his eyes open. Play was stopped and the crowd went silent as he and was quickly seen to be paramedics. Crawford was put in a neck brace also suffering from bruises to his eye before he was carried off the court and taken to hospital. A Barclays Center spokesman said the official was talking as he made his way to the hospital and could remember what happened.