Texas Baseball Coach Who Attacked Umpire Over Call Could Face Charges

An umpire from Denton, Texas, is pressing charges against a baseball coach who attacked him over a call, he said.

According to FOX 4, the umpire, Sam Phelps, is now recovering after the incident, but the coach could face assault charges. The coach admitted to shoving the umpire after questioning a call at home plate.

The incident occurred at the Five Star Baseball Complex in The Colony on Saturday afternoon. Phelps said a coach from a team from Abilene disagreed with several calls. After a play where Phelps called a runner safe at home, the coach angrily came out of the dugout.

"I ejected him, and I held up my hand and said, ‘We aren’t doing this, coach.’ 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 told FOX 4. Phelps has been an umpire for 15 years and said he's never experienced anything like this.

A parent who witnessed the incident said Phelps was on the ground for 10 to 15 minutes and was put on a stretcher when the ambulance arrived. At the hospital, he was scanned for a concussion but was released hours later.

FOX 4 was able to get a hold of the coach, who originally drove away from the scene on Saturday afternoon. He said he admitted his role in the situation and hopes he can apologize to Phelps in person. The organization hosting the baseball tournament, 24 Sports, said the coach and his team have been banned from participating in future events.