Tremaine Jackson Again Defends Eric Zachery, Says SFA Coach Passed Up Two Postgame Chances to Discuss Play

HOUSTON — Tremaine Jackson stood firm Tuesday, again defending defensive back Eric Zachery during an appearance on the HBCU Coaches Corner podcast. Jackson said Stephen F. Austin head coach Colby Carthel had two opportunities to discuss the tackle with him after Saturday's game but addressed it at Monday's press conference without first raising his concerns directly with Jackson.

Jackson addressed Carthel’s comments with co-host Steven Campbell, Rocky Miller, and Coach Johnnie Cole. Campbell said Carthel described the tackle as one of the “dirtiest plays he had seen in 27 years of coaching.”

The play in question came during Stephen F. Austin's 31-10 win at Prairie View on Sept. 19. Carthel said the tackle injured Lumberjacks tight end Gerard Edimo, who caught a 15-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, and that the injury likely ended his career.

A visibly agitated Carthel also accused Zachery of taunting Edimo. At no point after the play did game officials penalize Prairie View A&M. Stephen F. Austin reviewed the incident under conference and NCAA protocols and even communicated with the Southwestern Athletic Conference. To date, no governing bodies have issued disciplinary action.

Coward coaches make egregious statements all the time..doesn't change the fact that it wasn't a dirty play. https://t.co/24Vm4gjK9E pic.twitter.com/fXT6qdDAe9
— PV vs EVERYBODY (@pv_vs_everybody) September 23, 2026

No mention at midfield and the next day

Jackson was caught off guard by Carthel, especially since the coaches have known one another for 15 years. He also noted that Carthel and his assistants did not raise the play after the game or in the days that followed when they exchanged notes on improving the contest.

"If [Carthel] thought that play was a problem, he shook my hand at midfield and told me how great of a program we had and for us to go win the national championship," Jackson said. "There was no mention of the play."

Jackson said the two staffs spoke again that Sunday.

"We sat with their coaches on both sides of the ball on Sunday and we talked about what we thought about each other's teams and the different tendencies each other had," Jackson said. "There was no mention of the play or anything that was thought to be dirty. So I was a little blindsided this morning when I walked in the office."

Jackson said he learned of Carthel's remarks after a fan commented on an Instagram post about Zachery. According to Jackson, the comment said Zachery was going to jail, called him a thug, and said he "probably don't know who his father is."

"Those were the comments," Jackson said.

PVAMU — Prairie View A&M football team during pregame warmups. | Kyle T. Mosley, HBCU LEGENDS

Jackson on the play

Jackson told the podcast hosts he watched Carthel's video and then reviewed the clip again. He also revealed Zachery was injured while tackling Edimo.

"People don't know this, Eric Zachery hurt his hand on that same play," Jackson said. "And we thought his hand was broken. So I understand what it looks like, but it don't look like what people making it look like."

Jackson mentioned Zachery did not know Edimo was injured. His coaching staff spoke with him to address Zachery's reaction after the play.

"We talked to Eric about what things look like," Jackson said. "We talked to Eric about, 'Hey man, you can't get up over somebody and celebrate.' He didn't know the kid was hurt. Didn't even know the kid was hurt."

Jackson credited the officiating crew. "I told the head of officials, I commended his staff because I thought the SWAC referees really did a good job of making sure it didn't get out of hand," he said. "It was a competitive game."

Don’t attack our kids!! If there’s any issue, come to me, I’m not hard to reach!! #FTF pic.twitter.com/ASSFKpprsL
— Tremaine Jackson (@coachjack212) September 22, 2026

Who is Eric Zachery?

Jackson described Zachery as a student-athlete from West Dallas who is on track to graduate.

"He's a 3.2 student that's a really good corner and does community service and responds to little kids' letters when they send them pictures to get autographed," Jackson said. "That's who Eric Zachery is, from West Dallas. And where he's from, the stats say he's not supposed to be doing what he's doing right now. And he's on pace to graduate, by the way."

"So you're not going to attack one of our kids ... one, without talking to me, the grown folks in place, and two, without even knowing who that kid is," Jackson said.

Jackson said his public response was aimed at the fans who followed Carthel's lead, not at Carthel.

"My response though wasn't really to Coach [Carthel], because if Coach [Carthel] want to talk to me, Coach [Carthel] got my number," Jackson said. "My response was to the people that he incited and that he decided that he was going to get them on his side, and they were going to start calling this kid out of his name, talking about this kid's situation and saying really disrespectful things."

Eric Zachery is a good player, person, student - Tremaine Jackson | Credit: Kyle T. Mosley, HBCU Legends

Should’ve been handled in-house

Jackson compared his program to a family. He said he told his players that relatives sometimes make mistakes, and that families deal with those mistakes privately.

"At the end of the day, that's your family, and how you choose to deal with that in-house is how you choose to deal with that," Jackson said.

"When you come for one of our players, whether he's wrong or right, we're gonna come back and we'll deal with all those things in-house that we need to deal with," he said. "You don't get to know how I whoop my kids or if I whoop my kids."

Jackson said Carthel should have called him instead of speaking publicly.

"It's not like we had never faced each other. It's not like we had never been on committee together. I know you," Jackson said. "So if you know that that's not us, then I think you should call me if you thought there was a problem."

He was more direct about the format Carthel chose.

"I thought it was very cowardly, to be quite honest, for you to use social media or use a video, or in a press conference, you're supposed to be talking about the next team," Jackson said.

Jackson said Stephen F. Austin also took the matter to its commissioner and to SWAC commissioner, Dr. Charles McClelland, without contacting him first.

Campbell: 'That one should have been done after the game'

Campbell said he was disappointed that Carthel did not address the matter with Jackson directly, given their history.

"If he really was that angry and that upset, right or wrong, that one should have been done after the game," Campbell said. He again questioned Carthel's description of the play as the worst he had seen in his career.

"You ain't been around football if you thought that was the worst thing that you as a coach have seen," Campbell said.

Campbell rebuked Carthel's remarks, noting it set the tone for the comments that followed, which he described as having racial undertones and being disrespectful.

"Coach Jackson has told you about this young man," Campbell said. "He is a star student, he is a star player, and he represents Prairie View A&M and represents all HBCU football."

What's next

Stephen F. Austin's review of the play remains open. Prairie View A&M fell to 1-3 with the loss and will head to Dallas to meet Grambling State at the State Fair Classic. The game will be critical for the winner, giving it a clearer path to control its destiny in the SWAC West.

FAQs

What were Colby Carthel’s allegations about Eric Zachery?

Stephen F. Austin head coach Colby Carthel called Zachery's tackle on tight end Gerard Edimo a "dirty play." Carthel said the injury likely ended Edimo's career and accused Zachery of taunting him.

When did the play happen?

The play happened during Stephen F. Austin's 31-10 win over Prairie View A&M on Sept. 19, 2026, at Prairie View.

Was a penalty called on the play?

No. No penalty was called. Jackson said the SWAC officiating crew did a good job of keeping the game under control.

How did Tremaine Jackson respond?

Jackson said Carthel never raised the play with him after the game or when the two staffs spoke that Sunday. He called Carthel's decision to go public "very cowardly" and said his response was aimed at fans who attacked Zachery online.

Was Eric Zachery injured on the play?

Jackson said Zachery hurt his hand on the same play and the staff initially thought it was broken.

Who is Eric Zachery?

Zachery is a Prairie View A&M cornerback from West Dallas. Jackson said Zachery carries a 3.2 GPA, does community service, and is on pace to graduate.

Has any disciplinary action been taken?

No disciplinary action has been announced. Stephen F. Austin is reviewing the incident under conference and NCAA protocols.

Where did Jackson make his comments?

Jackson spoke with Steven Campbell on the HBCU Coaches Corner podcast, which Campbell co-hosts with Johnnie Cole and Rocky Miller.

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