A youth baseball coach in a Dallas, Texas, suburb could face an assault charge after shoving an umpire so forcefully that he had to be taken to the hospital on a stretcher.
WFAA posted a video of the altercation online Tuesday showing the escalating dispute between the coach and the umpire at a baseball tournament in The Colony. The incident is the latest in a string of confrontational behavior by adults at youth sporting events. Fallout from the incident, which occurred Saturday, is still unfolding as police have yet to announce charges.
The video shows the confrontation as the umpire declared a player safe after sliding across home plate. The heavyset coach approaches the umpire, appearing to argue.
"You're out, dude!" the umpire shouts, pointing off the field.
Then the coach shoves the umpire to the ground, where he remains, as adults come to his aid and the field is cleared.
Sam Phelps, the umpire, told Fox affiliate KDFW that he's recovering after being scanned for a concussion and released from the hospital on Saturday.
"I ejected him, and I held up my hand and said, 'We aren't doing this, coach,'" Phelps told the station. "And then he held up his hand to mock me, saying, 'Oh, we aren't doing this.' And then he shoved me right in the face, and I fell backwards and hit my head. And I was down for a while."
Ryan Walke, a parent who was watching his son play on a neighboring field, told the station Phelps was on the ground for 10 to 15 minutes and had to be carried to the ambulance on a stretcher.
The coach, Robbie Johnson, told KTAB that he takes "full responsibility" for shoving the umpire and it was "totally wrong." Johnson, coach of the Texas Phenoms, described how he and Phelps had multiple disagreements during the game.
Before the shove, Johnson said, Phelps kept putting his hands in his face, even hitting his hat. Johnson said he'll step down as head coach of the team.
But Phelps told KDFW he's decided to press charges and has filed a police report, saying, "If there are no consequences, this can continue."
"I don't want to destroy anyone's life," Phelps told the station. "But I would like this to be a learning opportunity to get this out there."
Officer Rick De La Cruz, spokesman for The Colony police, told The Dallas Morning News that the coach could face an assault charge. Detectives are reviewing the incident and could issue an arrest warrant, according to police.
Altercations caused by overzealous parents or coaches is nothing new. Earlier this month, a mother in Mississippi was charged with a misdemeanor after allegedly punching an umpire in the face. In Florida, a man punched a Little League umpire and was charged with felony battery of a sports official. Physical altercations have also occurred at the professional level.
L'Erin Hampton, president and CEO of 24 Sports—who sponsored the tournament in The Colony—told WFAA that the incident and others should spur adults in youth sports to do better.
"I think at the end of it, we have to remember that the kids come first. Right?" he told the station. "So it goes back to, 'why you do what you do? What's your why? Why do you coach? Why do you want to send your kids to play baseball?'"
Newsweek has reached out to The Colony police for comment.
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