Social media users have been shocked this week by a video showing a high school football player tackling a referee.
According to a report by news.com.au, the incident in question occurred at a game between two Texan teams - Edinburg High School Bobcats and Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High Bears.
Although Edinburg managed a 35-21 win to make the playoffs, the most memorable moment of the match occurred when Edinburg senior defensive lineman Emmanuel Duron ran onto the field and put a massive hit on a referee.
Take a look at this footage of the incident recorded at the game:
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Per news.com.au, Duron (Edinburg's district defensive player of the year and the team’s kicker and punter) tackled the referee after the official announced that Duron had been disqualified.
Duron had attempted to make a tackle on PSJA High freshman quarterback Jaime Lopez after the whistle had blown.
According to The Monitor of McAllen, 58-year-old referee Fred Gracia had to be treated for concussion symptoms by paramedics, and Duron was forcibly restrained by coaches and teammates before being escorted from the field of play by police officers.
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Suffice it to say, when footage of the incident was shared on social media, Duron was widely condemned by sports fans.
For instance, one Twitter user wrote: "Wow just wow. This is from a HIGH SCHOOL football game?! I’m disgusted. [sic]"
Meanwhile, someone else added: "I have never seen anything like this happen while covering high school or professional sports in 20 years. wow! [sic]"
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In a later statement made to The Monitor, Edinburg High head football coach JJ Lejia declined to comment on the incident directly, stating:
"I hope you understand. I want this (moment) to be about our program and all the other kids we had on the field tonight.
"Defensively, we had some breakdowns but we have a young secondary. We can’t use that as an excuse because we’re already this deep into the season."
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He added:
"But they’re 15 years old and we’re trying to do the best we can. The kids were playing hard and I couldn’t ask for anything else."
The Monitor reports that Duron was suspended for the remainder of the 2019-20 soccer season after a similar incident during a match against crosstown rival Edinburg Vela.