Player jailed in ref attack; team removed from playoffs
Edinburg High School football player Emmanuel Duron has been charged with assault following his attack on a referee after being ejected during Thursday’s home game against Pharr-San Juan-Alamo.
In the wakeoftheincident, school district officials Friday removed Edinburg from the Class 6A state playoffs after the Bobcats had earned a postseason berth by beating PSJA 35-21.
Duron was ejected after getting two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for shoving a PSJA offensive lineman to the ground, trying to tackle the quarterback after the whistle, and exchanging words with the referee, 59-year-old Fred Gracia.
After Gracia announced the ejection, Duron rushed onto the field and slammed into him full speed. Videos of the incident promptly went viral on social media.
Duron was escorted out of Richard R. Flores Stadium by school district police officers. On Friday morning he was jailed on a charge of class A assault and later was released on $10,000 bail.
Left crumpled on the ground, Gracia was evaluated for a potential shoulder injury and concussion-like symptoms. His daughter Iris tweeted early Friday that her father is “doin’ alright.”
The incident was reminiscent of an attack on an official by two Jay players during a 2015 gameat Marble Falls. Instigated by an assistant coach, the first player leveled the official from behind, and the second player hit him on the ground.
Duron was suspended for the remainder of the 2019-20 soccer season after a similar on-field incident against Edinburg Vela last season, the (McAllen) Monitor reported.
“I can’t release any information on that and I apologize for that,” Edinburg coachJJ Lejia said of Thursday’s incident 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.”
Thursday night was supposed to be an elimination game for the schools, with the winner going to the postseason.
But Friday morning, the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District removed the Bobcats from the playoffs, with that spot going to PSJA instead.
“We extend a sincere apology to the referee and his family,” the district said in a statement. “On behalf of the Edinburg CISD Board of Trustees and administration, we apologize to the athletes, staff and our school community.
“We will take the appropriate disciplinary action onceweunderstand the facts and circumstances underlining this incident. Thedistrict takes these matters very seriously; however, we cannot comment further on a pending investigation.”
The Texas Association of Sports Officials said in a statement that it is working with the University Interscholastic League on an investigation “to bring this matter to asuitable disposition.”
“Unfortunately, this type of blindsided assault on an official while working on the field is not new to Texas football.”