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Youth Baseball Umpire to Press Charges Against Coach Who Attacked Him on Video
April 12, 2022
A youth baseball umpire was attacked by a coach who disagreed with his calls during a game last weekend in The Colony, Texas.
Sam Phelps told Fox 4's Peyton Yager (h/t TMZ Sports) that he will press charges after being forced to go to the hospital because of the incident. Video shows him being shoved to the ground after ejecting the coach who came onto the field to argue a call:
Peyton Yager @peytonyagerLast night, we spoke to an umpire from Denton, TX who said he’s pressing charges against a boy’s baseball coach after he was assaulted on Saturday.<br><br>This morning, <a href="https://twitter.com/FOX4?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FOX4</a> obtained video of the incident.<br><br>The umpire was released from the hospital and is at home recovering.<a href="https://twitter.com/FOX4?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FOX4</a> <a href="https://t.co/fUN5cAjE0q">pic.twitter.com/fUN5cAjE0q</a>
"I ejected him, and I held up my hand and said, 'We aren’t doing this, coach,'" Phelps said, per Yager. "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."
Phelps was transported to a nearby medical facility and evaluated for head injuries before being released. An umpire for the last 15 years, Phelps said he is still in shock over the altercation. He hopes that pressing charges ensures that this won't happen to another umpire.
"I don't want to destroy anyone's life," Phelps said. "But, I would like this to be a learning opportunity to get this out there."
A spokesperson for The Colony Police Department told TMZ Sports that an investigation is underway.
According to Fox 4, the organization that hosted the tournament announced that the coach and his team are banned from playing in future tournaments.