/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5fca6c54a38ab0ff34a0b3fc/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=5100&cropY1=1&cropY2=2871&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1 "Texas High School Football Player Escorted From Stadium By Police After Attacking Referee")
Topline
After being ejected from his team’s must-win game Thursday for back-to-back unsportsmanlike penalties, Emmanuel Duron, a senior defensive lineman on the Edinburg High School football team, charged onto the field and knocked referee Fred Gracia to the turf, with Duron subsequently being removed from the premises by four Edinburg police officers.
referee at Texas High School Division 4 Football Game. (Photo by: Visions of America/Universal … [+]
Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Key Facts
In the second quarter of what was a win-or-go-home game for the Edinburg High Bobcats, Duron, the team’s leading tackler, was flagged for shoving an opposing offensive lineman and attempting to tackle PSJA High’s quarterback after the play had been blown dead.
According to The Monitor of McAllen, referee Fred Gracia exchanged words with Duron after the play was over and promptly ejected him from the game.
However, Duron then raced back onto the field, eluding teammates and coaches who attempted to hold him back, and violently collided with Garcia, who tumbled to the ground.
Garcia, 58, was taken to an ambulance outside the stadium, where he was reportedly evaluated for a shoulder injury and concussion-like symptoms.
Duron was escorted from Richard R. Flores Stadium by police (he was not handcuffed but was removed from the premises and did not return, according to The Monitor.)
Key Background:
Duron led Edinburg in tackles (102) and sacks (eight) this season and was named the District 31-6A Defensive Player of the Year last season. He was also named The Monitor’s “All-Area Boys Wrestler of the Year” in March of 2020 after finishing with a 44-8 record. Duron also played soccer for the school but, according to The Monitor, he was suspended for the remainder of the 2019-20 soccer season after a “similar incident” occurred during a match in 2019. Thursday’s game resumed after a delay following the attack on the official. Edinburg went on to win 35-21 and advanced to the playoffs. It the first time the school has advanced to the high-stakes world of a Texas high school football postseason since 2018. Edinburg police officers on the scene offered no comment, stating, “we are not at liberty to talk about that.” Edinburg High administrators also reportedly declined to comment on the incident Thursday night
Critical Quote:
“I can’t release any information on that and I apologize for that,” Edinburg High head football coach JJ Lejia said after the game. “I hope you understand. I want this (moment) to be about our program and all the other kids we had on the field tonight.”
Further Reading:
Bittersweet: Bobcats beat Bears for 6A playoff berth, lose star defender (The Monitor of McAllen)
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