A Grand Slam baseball tournament in Mississippi turned ugly after it ended.
A deputy for the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office and an umpire were both arrested following a brawl following the tournament at Cornerstone Park on Sunday.
In a video taken by parents, which Grand Slam Tournament Director Mike Narmour sent to The Dispatch, players are walking off the field after the final game of the tournament as umpire Jeff Akins pushes Lieutenant Darrell Holley, the coach for Starkville’s 14U sports performance center select team, in the chest.
Holley instantly responded by pushing Akins, who then punched the coach in the head.
Then, Holley’s son, who is a player for the team, punched the umpire in the back of the head twice before he was pushed back by spectators as Akins turned to face the young boy. Holley followed with another punch to Akins, putting him on the ground, which led to more punches.
Akins eventually got to his feet but the two ended up on the ground together shortly after, still exchanging blows. Holley’s son got involved in the mess again, repeatedly hitting Akins before officials of the tournament ran to break up the beatdown.
Both Akins and Holley were hit with a misdemeanor charge for fighting not in self defense, per Brandon Lovelady, who is a public information officer for Starkville Police Department.
They both are also banned from all future Grand Slam tournaments.
One X user posted the video and wrote, “This happened at a 14 year old travel ball game in Starkville yesterday between a coach and an umpire. What are some of you adults doing? What kind of example are you setting for kids? Pathetic and embarrassing by everyone involved. Grow up.”
According to Lovelady, an investigation into the situation is ongoing.
Narmour was not at the tournament when the altercation broke out and is unsure what sparked the brawl.
Yet, he said it was from “stupidity all the way around.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
