The high school football player who made headlines after tackling a referee has been told that he is now banned from all athletic activities.
Per news.com.au, the incident in question occurred during a game between the two Texan teams Edinburg High School Bobcats and Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High Bears on December 3.
Despite Edinburg securing a 35-21 win to make the playoffs, the victory was overshadowed when Edinburg senior defensive lineman Emmanuel Duron ran onto the field and tackled 58-year-old referee Fred Gracia.
Take a look at this footage of the incident below:Gracia had to be treated for a shoulder injury and concussion-like symptoms by paramedics, and Duron was forcibly restrained by coaches and teammates before being escorted from the field of play by police officers.
Duron was later charged with assault and held in jail on a $10,000 bond.
Now, per Yahoo! News, Duron was told on Monday (December 14) that the attack will cost him the rest of his high school athletic career.
The comes after members of Texas' University Interscholastic League executive committee voted 5-0 to suspend Duron from competing in athletics for the remainder of the 2020-21 school calendar.
Due to the fact that Duron is a senior, this effectively means that his run as a high school sports star in South Texas is over.
This will comes as a huge blow to the teen, as the All-Area wrestler was expected to compete for a state wrestling championship in the spring.
The decision also means that the Edinburg High School Bobcats will lose their team's kicker and punter, who had previously been recognized as the District 31-6A Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.
But Duron's actions haven't just had repercussions for him, as the UIC also announced that Edinburg football coach J.J. Leija will be placed on probation for the 2021-22 school year.
In addition, the school's entire athletic department will be placed on probation immediately through the 2022-23 school year - meaning that further violations could lead to additional punishment or barring.
Suffice 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]"
Per CBS4 in Texas, Edinburg High were also removed from the play-offs as a result of the incident, with the school's CISD stating: "The district has decided to remove the Edinburg High School football team from the playoffs after an unexpected incident involving a student that occurred during a football game on December 3, 2020.
"We extend a sincere apology to the referee and his family. 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 once we understand the facts and circumstances underlining this incident. The district takes these matters very seriously; however, we cannot comment further on a pending investigation."
