Two assistant coaches have been suspended after they verbally attacked a player at a youth softball tournament in Newberg, Ore., last weekend. Eleven-year-old Brinley Stephens plays on the Astoria Future Fish softball team, and she stands an impressive 5 feet, 10 inches tall. After she hit a strong line drive, the opposing team’s coaches took to the field in disbelief.
According to News10 ABC, the assistant coaches for the opposing team “yelled at the umpire and accused Brinley of being too old and too big — and they demanded to see her birth certificate.”
Parents in attendance reported that the coach’s outburst caused chaos on the field. Stephens was “in tears,” and the coaches were “cursing and taking photos.”
Stephens’ mom, Tracy Burchfield, told News10 ABC, “It’s competitive, however, you also have to be role models and good examples.”
When order was restored on the field, the umpire did not eject the assistant coaches who began the kerfuffle. Instead, gameplay continued. The Astoria Future Fish ultimately won the game, but the assistant coaches still couldn’t let go of their frustrations. During the post-game handshake, St. Helens assistant coaches were “caught on camera flipping off the Astoria parents.”
The North American Fastpitch Association took action after the tournament. The organization suspended both St. Helens assistant coaches and “called their behavior ‘indefensible.’” The male assistant coach has been suspended for the entire year, and the female assistant coach has been suspended for ten days with a probationary period to follow. The head coach faced no penalties as it did not appear that the head coach was involved in the incident.
“I still think that they should not be coaching,” Burchfield said. “It was very poor sportsmanship.”
