The University Interscholastic League’s State Executive Committee in Texas held a hearing on Tuesday morning, ultimately deciding to give a second chance to a high school football player who tackled a referee during a game in 2015.
Victor Rojas was one of two players involved in the incident that went viral in the fall of 2015. Rojas was banned from playing high school sports in the state for the remainder of eligibility in high school, but he is appealing that decision before the commission on Tuesday morning.
According to several news reports at the time, the coach ordered the two players to tackle the referee after he allegedly made racial slurs during the game. The referee denied making any racial slurs, through an attorney and sustained permanent injuries as a result of the blind sided hit. During the hearing, commissioners regularly referred to the tackle and as an “assault.”
Rojas was a sophomore student at the time of the incident and has one year of high school eligibility left. He asked the commission for forgiveness and apologized for the incident.
The commission voted early Tuesday morning after a motion was made to reinstate Rojas’ eligibility beginning during the 2017-2018 school year. The motion was unanimously approved by the commission. The reinstatement includes a probationary clause that provides Rojas’ remaining eligibility can be stripped if he is involved in any further unsportsmanlike conduct penalties again.
[image via screengrab]
