Video captured at a Monday night Little League game shows a fight between the plate umpire and a coach that bystanders are calling an assault.
The game was between two 12-and-under teams, Bull City Little League and Cherryville, in a state championship tournament at Wilson's Gillette Baseball Complex.
During the top of the fifth inning, video shows a Cherryville coach approach the home plate umpire along the third base line. The umpire, Robby Beamon, can be heard saying that the coach should be ejected from the game and leave the field for using profanity.
There is a lot of swearing in the original video, and WRAL News has posted this clip with the sound muted.
As the two men reach home plate, the other umpire runs in from the infield. The coach then shoves Beamon.
With the second umpire trying to separate the two, Beamon swings his face mask at least three times toward the head of the coach. Plate umpires wear a protective masks with metal bars and heavy cushioning to shield themselves from taking a pitch to the face or head.
Another coach told WRAL News he stepped in to try and break up the fight, and the two coaches rush Beamon out of the frame. Beamon can later be seen on the ground, on his back, being restrained by one of the coaches.
Out of the picture, people can be heard yelling that the actions constitute an assault.
The entire encounter lasts a little more than a minute. As the video ends, the men have been separated and walk off the field. A Bull City Little League spokesman said that the tournament was expected to resume as planned on Tuesday.
Wilson police told WRAL News they were not called to the ballpark.
David Lee, Wilson Parks and Recreation director, said, “We have no tolerance for this type of behavior. There are a lot of people working hard to make sure our youth are having a positive experience, and it’s just unfortunate and honestly embarrassing that two adults ruined that last night.”
The Cherryville Little League Board of Directors issued a statement saying that the organization was aware of the incident but wouldn't comment on it "while we are still in the information discovery stage."
The umpires are scheduled through a third party and are independent contractors, so neither the town nor the league can discipline Beamon directly.
Aaron Schoonmaker, president of Bull City Little League, said that while he was not at the game Monday night, he was proud of the way his team handled themselves, pointing out that none of the Bull City players, coaches or parents were involved in the fight.
Cherryville believes Beamon provoked Burgess, while also saying both men could have handled themselves better.
Little League International sent WRAL News the following statement regarding the incident:
We have absolutely no tolerance for abuse anywhere in the Little League program. The acts displayed by a coach and an umpire during a game at the North Carolina Little League Baseball State Tournament during the evening Monday, July 15, 2024, are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Immediately following the reporting of this incident, on Tuesday, July 16, the Little League International Tournament Committee issued an indefinite suspension of coach Chase Burgess from participating in any Little League-affiliated activity and will not permit Robbie Beamon to serve as an umpire in any Little League games for the remainder of the 2024 season. All players, coaches, umpires, and participants must always uphold the highest level of sportsmanship and behavior. And all adult volunteers in the Little League program are expected to act with the highest level of integrity and be positive role models for all children.
On Friday, Burgess posted on social media that he was resigning from his coaching duties after the fight.
"While I regret the occurrence and acknowledge that I could have responded differently, I cannot overlook the fact that the umpire's unprofessionalism was a significant factor in the altercation. I was provoked and antagonized. Although I recognize the high standards expected of me in my role, the umpire should also be held to those same standards and be held accountable for his actions, which included verbal abuse and assault with a weapon."
Fight is second scare for Bull City Little League in Wilson
In June 2022, a team of 7- and 8-year-olds from Bull City Little League was playing against East Chatham at the same complex when shots rang out. Video of that game showed players, coaches and those in the stands running, ducking for cover or just falling to the ground to protect themselves.
Chris Breslin, who was one of the coaches on the field, said he heard three shots and felt something whizz by.
'It's something I will never ever forget': Parents, coaches react after gunshots rang out near a little league tournament in Wilson
When the shots stopped, no one was injured, but a shell casing was found on the ground and the back window of a van in the parking lot was shot out.
Earlier this summer, an American Legion game was suspended after dozens of shots were fired near Fleming Stadium, home of the Wilson Tobs.
Police searched the area near Stadium Street and Churchill Avenue and several shell casings but no injuries or property damage.
