An Oklahoma youth baseball coach who was permanently banned from the national organization is speaking out.
Coach Michael Ryals, 38, is accused of instructing his 12-year-old son to throw the ball into the opposing team’s dugout.
“No, I don’t want to be seen as the bad guy,” Ryals said in a phone interview with USA TODAY Sports. “…I don’t want to be hated. I don’t want my children to be hated either.”
The incident, which went viral after a video circulated on social media, occurred over Memorial Day weekend in Kansas City as Ryals’ Oklahoma State team was playing against a Nebraska team. Ryals said players on the opposing team were yelling abuse at him while his son was pitching.
“Kids are just ruthless kids,” Ryals said. “I don’t think a child should be bothered by what they said, but he (Ryalls’ son) has reached a breaking point.
“He said he was going to throw the ball between innings, and I said, ‘There are consequences to that. You should think about it, but there are consequences to that.’
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), which sanctioned the tournament, not only banned Ryals for life, but also suspended Ryals’ son for five years, USSSA CEO John Latella said.
USA TODAY Sports is not naming Ryals’ son because he is a minor.
Who is to blame for what happened?
When Ryals sounded like he was saying he wasn’t responsible for his son’s actions, he responded, “If they want to put the blame on me, I did. I’m his father, I’m a grown man. I’m not going to answer that question because I don’t want people to think my son is worse than him.”
Two people associated with Ryals’ team said the player’s parents believe Ryals instructed his son to throw the ball into the dugout. The people spoke on condition of not being identified because of the sensitivity of the situation.
Brandon Magni, the opposing team’s coach, wrote on Facebook that he believed Ryals was responsible for what happened.
Ryals’ 12-year-old son played on the 11-and-under team. Although he was 12 years old, he qualified for the 11-and-under category because he was in the fifth grade, but this led to him being given a “grade exemption.”
According to Outkick, Marni said in a Facebook post that Ryals’ son threw a 110 mph fastball into the University of Nebraska dugout, and one of the players was hit by the ball. Facebook post has been deleted.
Manager Ryals cited a chain-link fence behind the dugout to absorb the velocity of pitches, saying, “Probably no one was going to get hurt.”
Ryals said she also knows that if her son had told her not to throw the ball, she never would have.
“I mean, I sincerely regret it,” he said.
