UFL Week 3 descended into chaos
The UFL’s Week 3 featured a string of chaotic moments: one overtime game ended when a score was awarded via a penalty flag, the league recorded its largest blowout ever, and Columbus head coach Ted Ginn Jr. was arrested. (x.com) The mix of on‑field controversy and an off‑field arrest triggered heavy discussion across social feeds. (x.com)
The United Football League’s third week turned on three separate jolts in less than 48 hours: an overtime game decided by a penalty, a 45-7 rout in Washington, and the arrest of Columbus coach Ted Ginn Jr. (foxsports.com, dispatch.com) On Friday, April 10, Orlando beat Louisville 29-27 in overtime at Lynn Family Stadium after the Storm were awarded two points on a Kings penalty during the extra session. FOX Sports’ game recap said Orlando won after “being awarded two points for a penalty committed by the Kings.” (foxsports.com) The league’s overtime format is not sudden death in the National Football League sense. The UFL rulebook says teams alternate attempts from the five-yard line, and reporting on the ending said a second live-ball foul by the same team in overtime counts as a successful try for the offense. (theufl.com, sports.yahoo.com) That finish landed in a league that had already rewritten several rules for 2026, including a four-point field goal from 60 yards or longer, one foot in bounds for catches, and a ban on the tush push. The UFL has pitched those changes as a faster, more fan-focused version of spring football. (theufl.com, theufl.com) Less than 24 hours later, the DC Defenders beat the Houston Gamblers 45-7 at Audi Field. ESPN’s Week 3 scoreboard lists it as the weekend’s largest margin so far, a 38-point result that topped every other final on the board. (espn.com, theufl.com) Then the weekend moved off the field. Ted Ginn Jr., the first-year head coach of the expansion Columbus Aviators, was arrested by Euless police and booked into the Tarrant County jail on Saturday, April 11, on a driving-while-intoxicated charge, according to The Dallas Morning News and Columbus television outlets. (dallasnews.com, abc6onyourside.com) The Dallas Morning News reported Ginn was stopped at 12:58 a.m. for traffic violations in Euless, Texas, and released the same day. ABC 6 in Columbus reported he posted a $1,000 bond, and UFL president Russ Brandon said offensive coordinator Todd Haley would handle head coaching duties for Sunday’s game against Dallas. (dallasnews.com, abc6onyourside.com, dispatch.com) Columbus is one of three new UFL franchises this season, and Ginn was hired in January after the league leaned on his Ohio State and National Football League profile to launch the Aviators in central Ohio. By Sunday morning, the team was already 0-2 and traveling to face a 2-0 Dallas club in Frisco. (theufl.com, theufl.com, espn.com) By the end of Week 3, the UFL had produced a rules lesson, a 38-point blowout, and a coaching change on game day. For a spring league selling novelty and stability at the same time, all three arrived in one weekend. (theufl.com, espn.com, dispatch.com)
