Youth baseball coach banned for life, son suspended for 5 years
A baseball coach has been permanently suspended by the USSSA for telling his 11-year-old son to throw the ball into the opposing team’s dugout.
Disciplinary action has been handed down in the youth baseball incident that caused a stir.
An Oklahoma coach who allegedly instructed his 11-year-old son to throw a ball into the opposing team’s dugout has been suspended indefinitely by the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), which sanctioned the travel ball tournament where the incident occurred.
The son of the baseball coach who threw the ball into the opposing team’s dugout during Memorial Day weekend in Kansas City has been suspended for five years.
USSSA CEO John Laterra informed USA TODAY Sports of the disciplinary action on Thursday, May 28th.
“Due to the sensitive nature of this matter and the involvement of minors, we will not be commenting further,” LaTella told USA TODAY Sports in a text message.
The incident occurred during a game between an Oklahoma team and a Nebraska team featuring players 11 and under. It gained national attention after a video showing part of what happened went viral on social media.
The coach who was permanently suspended by the USSSA is Michael Ryals, 38, of Welling, Oklahoma. The pitcher’s name will not be released because he is a minor.
The player’s parents believed that Ryals had directed his son to pitch into the opposing team’s dugout, according to two people involved with the team Ryals coached. The two spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
The two also said the incident occurred after the Nebraska team became loud and disruptive after the pitcher took the mound in the sixth and final inning.
The Nebraska team won 8-6.
One of the players’ parents sent a letter of apology to Brandon Magni, the team’s coach from Nebraska, on Facebook, one of the two people involved with Ryals’ team said. That person read a letter to USA TODAY Sports.
“Our athletes and parents were 100% blind when Michael instructed his son to do the same,” the letter said. “Immediately after the game we left the park and we no longer have any contact with the coach and we will not have any further contact with him.”
USSSA is a Florida-based nonprofit that sanctiones 35,000 events attended by 4.5 million people in 47 states, according to La Terra’s LinkedIn page.
This story has been updated with new information.
