Maryland football Coach Bobby Ross said he...

Maryland football Coach Bobby Ross said he has apologized to the referee whom he ran after and grabbed by the shoulder after the Terrapins’ 32-30 loss to North Carolina Saturday. Ross, however, said his action was misinterpreted and that he has filed an appeal of the game with the Atlantic Coast Conference office.

North Carolina won on a field goal in the final seconds, 32-30. Ross said he was merely seeking an interpretation from referee Don Safrit after the Tar Heels were given a timeout that enabled them to get their kicking team on the field, though the scoreboard showed they had no timeouts remaining and another official had signaled to Ross that they were out of timeouts. A review confirmed that the Tar Heels did have the one timeout left.

“I had no intention of hitting Mr. Safrit,” Ross said. “In fact, I really think he’s one of the best officials in the conference. I only wanted his interpretation.”

ACC Commissioner Bob James said Ross faced unspecified sanctions for his behavior. Ross said he suffered a pulled hamstring in his sprint to catch up with Safrit.