Vols fan celebrates too hard, tears ACL after Tennessee win over Alabama

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT/Gray News) – A Volunteers fan celebrated a little too hard after Tennessee’s winning field goal over Alabama and tore his ACL.

Saturday, the Vols managed a 52-49 victory over the Tide in a last-second field goal. After the game, fans rushed the field, tearing up the turf and even taking the goalposts to the Tennessee River.

Matt Wheeler wasn’t at the game, but his celebrations ended in some damage of his own.

“It’s kind of like a knife being shoved in the side of your leg. Maybe a really sharp and intense pain and then I don’t know if it was the adrenaline or me being so happy, but I didn’t really feel it until I went to bed that night,” Wheeler described of the moment he tore his ACL.

Wheeler jumped in the air while watching the immediate aftermath of the historic game.

He sent a video to WVLT News and said an MRI confirmed the injury.

“I guess I’ll be more calm going forward unless they beat Georgia and then it’ll break the other one,” Wheeler joked.

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