A youth baseball coach in Moscow, Idaho, was ejected from a game, and opted for his team to forfeit, after a teen umpire refused to cave to his pressure to change players’ walk-up music.
According to Fox News, officials and referees are praising the teen umpire who de-escalated the situation and stood his ground with the coach. The coach approached umpire Jameson Morris to complain about inappropriate walk-up music that parents of the opposing team were playing, asking for the umpire to intervene and demand the music be turned off.
"I've umped a lot of games here and I have not heard a single inappropriate word," Morris can be heard saying on a now-viral video from the incident. "Coach, you're either going back to the dugout or you can forfeit, that's your choice."
Parents later claimed the song in question was “Never Going to Stop,” by Rob Zombie.
Related: Youth Softball Coach Arrested After Viral Video Captures Fight With Opposing Coaches
The coach continued to push Morris after he refused the first time, to which Morris informed the coach that he could call the cops to complain about the music and leave it up to them.
When the pressure continued, Morris didn’t lose his cool as seen in several coach and umpire altercations in recent years. Instead, he ejected the coach, saying “You’re gone,” and telling him to leave the game.
At that point, the coach told his team that they were done playing and forfeited the game.
Players, parents, and officials and referees have praised Morris for his de-escalation skills in a situation that could have quickly turned violent or hostile.
