Youth baseball coach attacks umpire during game in Alabama, video shows
Parents looked in shock when a youth baseball game turned into a brawl after one of the coaches physically assaulted the umpire, a video shared on social media showed.
During a DC Patriots Baseball Grand Slam Baseball Alabama 11-U game in Calera, one of the coaches was upset about a call an umpire made on the field, according to a video shared by a parent of a player, AL.com reported.
In the video, the coach is seen on the field and getting in the face of one of the umpires. A second umpire tries to break up the fight, and then things escalate, the video shows.
“Our players had to run for the field,” the players mom, Sheri Powers, wrote in the video caption. “Absolutely unacceptable!”
The video was reposted May 15 by United Baseball Parents of America on Facebook and had thousands of comments and shares within one day.
Another coach runs onto the field, and then the umpire is tackled onto the ground where the fighting continues, video shows. The video shows players running out of the way as parents rush onto the field to try to break up the fight.
The umpire is pinned on the ground, and the scuffle continues as the coach and umpire are separated, the video shows.
Eventually, parents pull the men apart.
Comments on the video from other parents say both the coach and the umpire were allowed to stay at the game, which was a part of a larger tournament.
The Calera Police Department told McClatchy News that they had not been contacted about the fight when it occurred but had been made aware of the circulating video May 15.
“We are conducting an investigation. Once the investigation is complete it will be referred for consideration for prosecution,” police told McClatchy News.
McClatchy News reached out to Grand Slam Baseball Alabama about the physical altercation and is waiting for a response.
This story was originally published May 16, 2023 at 12:24 PM with the headline "Youth baseball coach attacks umpire during game in Alabama, video shows."
