SFA coach rips tackle that ‘probably ended’ TE’s career: ‘Disgusting. Pathetic’

SFA coach rips tackle that 'probably concluded' TE's career: 'Disgusting.

Key points

• The 6-foot-5, 232-pound Edimo is a South Florida transfer who's in his third season at Stephen F.
• Colby Carthel has been coaching college football in some capacity since 2000, but a play he saw early in Stephen F.
• REQUIRED READING: Ole Miss surges, LSU tumbles in college football's NCAA Re-Rank 1-138.
• The College Football Unfiltered crew breaks down mounting reservations for Oklahoma and Texas A&M after disappointing results put their playoff hopes in doubt.
• After Zachery completed the tackle, though, he continued holding on to Edimo's left leg, twisting it at an awkward angle (warning: explicit content).

SFA coach rips tackle that 'probably concluded' TE's career: 'Disgusting. Pathetic'. Craig Meyer USA TODAY NETWORK. Oklahoma and Texas A&M face growing playoff reservations.

Meanwhile, the College Football Unfiltered crew breaks down mounting reservations for Oklahoma and Texas A&M after disappointing results put their playoff hopes in doubt.

Colby Carthel has been coaching college football in some capacity since 2000, but a play he saw early in Stephen F. Austin's 31-10 win against Prairie View A&M on Saturday, Sept. 19, is unlike almost anything he's witnessed in that lengthy career.

With Carthel's team inside the Prairie View red zone and holding a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter, redshirt sophomore tight end Gerard Edimo caught a 2-yard pass for the Lumberjacks before being brought down by defensive back Eric Zachery.

After Zachery completed the tackle, though, he continued holding on to Edimo's left leg, twisting it at an awkward angle (warning: explicit content). Edimo remained on the ground and was immediately tended to by team trainers before being supported off the field.

During a news conference on Monday, Sept. 21, two days after the victory, Carthel described it as "the second-dirtiest, most unsportsmanlike play I've seen in my career."

"Absolutely no business in this game for a play like that, " Carthel remarked. "Disgusting. It's pathetic."

Carthel continued that Edimo's leg was "near yanked off the bone" and that the injury "probably ended his career."

"He's got two years left and he'll probably never play another snap of football because of a dirty, unsportsmanlike play, " Carthel remarked. "The young man (Zachery) obtained up and then produced fun of him as he walked off. Disgusting. Pathetic."

In practice, the 6-foot-5, 232-pound Edimo is a South Florida transfer who's in his third season at Stephen F. Austin, an FCS program located in Nacogdoches, Texas. Last season, he had five receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown. Heading into this season, he was honored with a single-digit jersey number (No. 8) and was voted as a captain by his teammates.

Adding to Carthel's frustration was what unfolded after the play. Zachery was not whistled for a penalty for what he did after the tackle was created, and Carthel stated the Panthers' junior was making fun of Edimo after the play was over. The play happened right in front of the Stephen F. Austin sideline.

In an official note posted to social media on Tuesday, Sept. 22, Prairie View coach Tremaine Jackson expressed his sympathy for Edimo before defending Zachery.

"Eric Zachery is not only a good player, he is a good person, great student and one of the best people in our program!" Jackson wrote in the statement. "We will not allow anyone to attack him or his character because of a play in a game."

He continued that he hasn't received any calls in the days since concerning the play and that nobody from Stephen F. Austin mentioned anything regarding it to him after the game.

"Don't get on the internet and attack any of my kids!" Jackson wrote. "We coach them the right way and they play the right way! Everyone has my number, and knows how to reach me if there's a difficulty."

Carthel remarked the Lumberjacks are after the protocols "in terms of what the conference and NCAA want to do" regarding the play.

"I hate it for Gerard, " Carthel remarked. "I hate it for our team. I hate it for our sport."

With the win, Stephen F. Austin improved to 4-0 and moved up to No. 6 in the FCS rankings. Prairie View, meanwhile, fell to 1-3. Last season, the Panthers went 10-4 and won the SWAC for the first time since 2009 before losing to South Carolina State, 40-38, in the Celebration Bowl. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

In short, SFA coach rips tackle that probably ended TEs career: Disgusting. Pathetic is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.