Former Kentucky player was celebrating game-winning TD when he fell over railing at stadium

A former University of Kentucky offensive lineman became so excited after UK's game-winning fourth-quarter interception and touchdown Saturday that he caught his foot on a step, lost his balance and went over the railing of the upper deck of Commonwealth Stadium, a witness said Sunday.

Brad Durham remained in serious condition Monday at UK Chandler Hospital, officials said. Durham allegedly fell 35 to 40 feet onto the lower level of the stadium.

Dan Forcum, a high school athletics trainer from Cincinnati, was sitting in Section 206, where Durham fell.

Durham and some friends were sitting in the front row of the upper deck, and Forcum and his son were sitting in the row directly behind them, he said.

Forcum said Durham and everyone in the stadium got to their feet during the interception-turned-touchdown that gave UK a 45-38 win over the University of South Carolina.

"He stepped up on the landing," Forcum said. "He was facing the crowd," with his back to the field. "And there was a step there, and he was jumping up and down. He caught his foot on the step, which knocked him off balance, and he started to go backward over the rail.

"I tried to grab his sweatshirt or his belt," Forcum said. But Durham already was starting to fall backward. Gravity took over, and Durham slipped from Forcum's grasp.

The railings on the landings for the upper deck aisles are higher than the railings in front of the seats. But "the railing probably only came up to his mid-thigh," Forcum said of Durham. "On me, it probably comes up to my hip."

According to a UK media guide, Durham is 6 foot 4 inches and weighed 310 pounds his senior year at UK in 2010.

Forcum said Durham fell partly in the aisle and partly in the seats, and he didn't hit any spectators.

Forcum said he and Durham talked during the game. Forcum has several former high school football players who now play for UK. Durham had played with one of his former players while at UK.

"He was so excited when they introduced (former UK player) Randall Cobb," Forcum said. "He was saying, 'I used to block for that guy.'

"I really hope that he's OK. It was a fluke accident."

UK spokesman Jay Blanton said the university was investigating the fall.

Durham played at UK from 2007 to 2010. The Rockcastle County High School graduate was on the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll in 2008 and 2009. According to the 2010 UK football media guide, Durham majored in agricultural economics.

This story was originally published October 5, 2014 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Former Kentucky player was celebrating game-winning TD when he fell over railing at stadium."