In a shock to the rugby community, the Dallas Jackals confirmed that nine players were injured after a walkway collapsed. Thoughts are with the players for their recovery and to the team as they seek assistance from other MLR clubs to deal with the repercussions.
Dallas Jackals Release
Dallas Jackals Rugby can confirm on the afternoon of Sunday, March 20th an off-field incident occurred which involved a number of players. With this, the Jackals have begun working with teams on a series of short-term loans and trades to cover the injuries incurred. See below for a full injury update and four players joining with further player announcements over the coming week.
GM Elaine Vassie said “First and foremost, we are extremely grateful the injuries to our players, while serious in terms of the impact on their seasons, were not life-threatening. Looking at the height of the walkway that collapsed resulting in 9 players falling around 7 feet to the ground, without diminishing the injuries sustained nor the shock to all players involved, the outcome could have been much much worse.”
“We appreciate the ongoing effort of other teams and the league to work with us on short-term loans and trades,” Vassie continued. “This ensures the cumulative effect of this volume of injuries, on top of normal ones at this stage of the season, does not impact our ability to continue playing fixtures.”
As of today, Sunday, March 27th, the Dallas Jackals have acquired the below players:
- Charlie Hola (Lock/Back Row) on trade from NOLA for salary-cap considerations in 2022
- Carson Shoemaker (Back Row) on a short term loan from Utah
- Augusto Bohme (Hooker) on a short term loan from Seattle
- Jack Webster (Center) on a short term loan from NOLA
Further signings will be announced in the coming days.
Vassie went on to say, “In a week where other top tier leagues have had to cancel matches due to injury and illness, it’s certainly an example of the value of MLR being a single entity and teams being invested in the success of the league and the experience for fans as a whole.”
Due to players seeking individual legal advice for related injuries, no further comments will be made about the off-field incident.
Injury Update, as of March 20th:
| Short Term | Injury | Anticipated Return |
| Alejandro Torres | Incident Related | 1-2 weeks |
| Conrado Roura | Incident Related & Shoulder | 1-2 weeks |
| Eric Naposki | Incident Related | 1-2 weeks |
| Luke Rizzo | Incident Related | 1-2 weeks |
| Calvin Gentry | HIA Protocol | TBC |
| Carlo de Nysschen | Incident Related & Hamstring | 2-3 weeks |
| Kelly Kolberg | Incident Related & Calf | 2-3 weeks |
| Liam Murray | Shoulder/Neck | 2-3 weeks |
| Todd Gleave | Incident Related & Calf | 2-3 weeks |
| Sam Phillips | Knee (PRP treatment) | 2-3 weeks |
| DeCor Davis | Kidney | TBC |
| Mid – Long Term | In order of Occurrence | |
| Moe Abdelmonem | Knee | Surgery Scheduled – 9 months |
| Chris Pennell | Knee | TBC |
| Jeremy Lenaerts | Ankle | 6 weeks + |
| Ned Hodson | Incident Related (Knee & HIA) | 6 weeks + |
| Henry Trinder | Incident Related (Wrist, Knee & HIA) | Surgery Scheduled – 3 months |
More Info on Incoming Players:
Charlie Hola
Charlie Hola, 21-year-old at 6’4” and 255lbs, played with Utah in 2020 and 2021 and the Warriors Selects last Fall. From Mesa, Arizona, Hola competed with the USA U18s and U19s and has attended several Eagle Impact Academy camps.
Hola attended Red Mountain High School from 2015 to 2019 playing football all four years. During high school, he also played for Tempe Rugby Club and World Rugby Academy in 2019.
Carson Shoemaker
From Peoria, Arizona, Shoemaker is 6’3” and 230lbs. He attended and played rugby at Arizona State University. Prior to entering college, Shoemaker was a former High School All-American. In 2020 he had the opportunity to compete with the USA U20 side.
Augusto Bohme
Bohme was born and raised in Chile and attended Universidad Catolica in Santiago. He has represented Chile in 16 test caps including the Rugby World Cup 2023 qualifiers where they defeated Canada to further their RWC 2023 campaign.
Jack Webster
Webster, from Lakewood, Washington, and moved to Alexandria, Louisiana during high school, is in his second season with NOLA Gold.
He attended LSU, graduating in 2020 with a Business Degree with double minors in finance and entrepreneurship. Webster began playing rugby in 2017 at LSU going on to be Captain and President of the club his senior year. He was named to the Red River Collegiate Rugby Conference 1st Team twice. He went on to play 7s with New Orleans RFC.