Texas HS Football Player Suspended for Rest of Academic Year

The defensive player from Edinburg (TX) High School, who was charged with assault after tackling a referee from behind during a playoff football game, has been suspended from all sports for the remainder of the year.

The University Interscholastic League (UIL) executive committee announced earlier this week that Emmanuel Duron has been suspended from all athletic competitions from the rest of the 2020-21 academic year, according to a report from The Monitor.

Duron served as Edinburg football’s kicker, punter, and defensive lineman, but he was also a standout wrestler. Additionally, according to a report from The Monitor, he also played soccer and was suspended in the 2019-20 season for an incident similar to his most recent actions.

“I’d like to say I’m sorry for what happened to my coaches and to my family and to the UIL,” Duron said in a statement Monday.

In addition to the suspension of Duron, the UIL placed Edinburg football’s head coach, J.J. Leija, on probation for the rest of the year while the school’s athletic department is on probation for the following two years. The Monitor reported that if additional infractions would occur during the probationary period, the UIL stated it would seek more severe penalties for Leija and Edinburg’s athletic department, including a three-year school-wide postseason ban.

The UIL also issued public and written reprimands to both individuals as well as Edinburg High.

“We as a district understand that it is a very unfortunate incident for the team, as the students and coaching staff worked very hard throughout the year for this season, but it is important that our district abides by the rules and regulations set forth by the UIL,” Edinburg CISD interim superintendent Gilbert Garza said. “Our district’s leadership agrees with the committee also that such incidents are not acceptable and will not be tolerated. Moving forward, our district is committed to developing and implementing a plan of action to proactively deter any future misconduct by any future student-athlete.”

To read the full report from The Monitor about the on-going penalties surrounding the Edinburg High School football team, click here.