Former Senior defensive lineman Emmanuel Duron of Edinburg High School is finally speaking out about his horrific actions after he slammed referee Fred Gracia to the ground in a move that drew sharp criticism across the nation.
In a video shared by Duron’s attorney, the teenager apologizes to Gracia. “I am extremely sorry for my actions towards you, and I hope one day you can accept my apologies” he said.
It was back on December 3rd during a high school football game pitting Edinburg High against PSJA High at Richard R. Flores Stadium when Duron became the talk of the country for his actions.
Duron was charged with class A assault the day after he assaulted the ref following an ejection from the game.
Although Edinburg had secured a playoff spot by defeating PSJA High 35-21 in that game, Edinburg school district officials voluntarily removed the team from the postseason just one day after the incident.
“To my teammates, I’d like for y’all to please accept my apology for putting y’all into this bad situation and letting y’all forfeit the playoffs. I hope y’all can please accept my apology,” Duron said in his video apology, in which he also expressed remorse to his parents, school officials and coaches as well as the public. “To my mom and dad, I am extremely sorry for putting them into this tough situation. I want to thank them for being there in my life and impacting me with good advice and for never letting me down. I’m sorry to the school administrators and my coaches. I’m extremely sorry for my actions and for bringing negative attention towards the district.
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“Finally, I would like to apologize to all the people that got offended by the video. I will work extremely hard to prove to y’all that who you saw in the video is not me.”
Duron was also suspended from all UIL-sanctioned activities for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.
