‘I’m Not Just a Kid Who Did Something Wrong’

A high school football player in Texas became infamous when he did the unthinkable, leveling a referee. With grace from the ref, the player is seeking a new start.

EDINBURG, Texas — Emmanuel Durón, 19, was scheduled to leave for college last Friday. A surprise pool party was arranged to send him off to restore a ruined football career. But the trade school he plans to attend in Atlanta was still trying to secure a field for its inaugural season. So Durón will have to wait at least a few more weeks before starting a new life, aiming to become someone other than a forever villain who attacked a referee. Fred Gracia, 57, spent last week traveling across South Texas for a grocery chain, placing meats and other items in their proper cases, on their designated shelves. He drives 500 to 1,000 miles a week, trying to restore the ordinary rhythm of his life, seeking what almost every referee wants, to be invisible. For seven months, Durón and Gracia have been trying to escape the brutal, viral reason most people have heard their names.