What happened between Prairie View A&M and Stephen F. Austin last Saturday has continued well beyond the final whistle.
The issue centers on a first-quarter play that left SFA tight end Gerard Edimo injured and ultimately prompted strong criticism from Lumberjacks head coach Colby Carthel.
Edimo had already made an impact early in SFA’s 31–10 victory, catching a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Gavin Rutherford. Later in the opening quarter, Edimo was involved in a tackle near the Stephen F. Austin sideline by Prairie View A&M defensive back Eric Zachery.
During the tackle, Edimo’s leg was caught in an awkward position as Zachery brought him to the ground. Edimo immediately went down and had to be helped from the field.
The play was not penalized.
Three days later, Carthel publicly condemned the tackle, calling it “disgusting” and “pathetic” and describing it as the second-dirtiest play he had witnessed during his 27 years of coaching. Carthel also alleged that Zachery mocked Edimo after the play as the injured tight end was being helped away from the field.
Those comments prompted a response from Prairie View A&M head coach Tremaine Jackson.
Jackson first acknowledged the seriousness of Edimo’s injury and offered prayers for the SFA tight end and his family. But he strongly rejected the characterization of his defensive back and made it clear that he would not allow his player to be personally attacked over a football play.
“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.
Jackson also said that nobody from Stephen F. Austin had contacted him about the incident.
“I haven’t received a call from anyone pertaining to this play, nor did anyone say anything to me after the game,” Jackson wrote.
Then came the line that quickly became the headline:
“Don’t attack our kids!! If there’s any issue, come to me, I’m not hard to reach!! #FTF”
The dispute therefore isn’t simply about the injury itself. It is also about the competing descriptions of what happened after the play.
Carthel has characterized the tackle as an exceptionally dirty play and questioned Zachery’s conduct afterward. Jackson, meanwhile, has defended Zachery’s character and says any concerns should have been brought directly to him rather than publicly directed toward one of his players.
And there is one important piece of context: the officials did not flag Zachery on the play. That does not by itself establish whether the tackle was clean or dirty, but it is a relevant part of the record as the two programs now offer very different perspectives on the incident.
SFA went on to defeat Prairie View A&M 31–10, taking a 24–0 halftime lead and improving to 4–0. The Panthers fell to 1–3.
Now the attention has shifted from the scoreboard to the aftermath — with Jackson making it clear that if Carthel or anyone else has an issue with his program, he wants that conversation brought directly to him.
