MCALLEN, Texas (KVEO) An umpire’s call during a Texas softball game resulted in one coach behind bars – and not those of the dugout.
On Saturday night, during the last game of the evening at the Protect Our Nation’s Youth International Softball League in McAllen, Texas, parents were in the stands watching their girls play a softball game.
During one of the plays, the umpire called an obstruction.
One of the team’s coaches became upset by the umpire’s call and rushed onto the field to voice his disagreement. The coach, identified as Joel Gonzalez, approached the female umpire who made the call.
A criminal complaint obtained by local affiliate KVEO states that the umpire began to explain her ruling to Gonzalez, but he was displeased by this and began using foul language.
As a result of his behavior, she ejected him from the game.
KVEO obtained video of the incident which shows the two walking away from each other and then meeting up again near home plate.
This time, however, Gonzalez nudged the woman with his chest. The other umpire on the field was the female umpire’s father. When he saw what was happening, he ran to home plate where the assault was taking place to separate the man and get him off the field.
The male umpire began leading the man with one arm back to his dugout. When Gonzalez refused to stand down, the female umpire called off the game, separated herself from the disagreement, and walked to the other side of the field.
When the umpire had her back turned to home plate, video appears to show Gonzalez running over and slamming into her with his body, causing her to fall to the ground.
Gonzalez was seen wearing a red, white, and blue shirt in the video, the same shirt that appeared in his mugshot.
Shortly after the game was called, Gonzalez was arrested by McAllen Police and charged with assault causing bodily injuries.
The umpire who was pushed to the ground told authorities that she was holding her umpire helmet at the time of the assault, and pinched her fingers in the metal wire on it when she fell.
KVEO reached out to PONY Softball League for a statement regarding the incident. A representative from the organization said that appropriate actions were taken and that Gonzalez will never be allowed to coach on their fields again.
The representative noted that the day after the incident the organization requested extra security at the ballpark to ensure that parents and players felt safe.
Additionally, Dalinda Gonzalez-Alcantar, CEO of the McAllen Boys & Girls Club issued the following statement after the incident:
“The safety and well-being of our community at Boys & Girls Club of McAllen (BGCM) is our highest priority. We take every situation that might impact the safety or well-being of individuals very seriously. We are aware of a physical altercation between adults at the Softball Complex during a sports tournament. At the time of the incident all protocols were followed and the situation was quickly de-escalated onsite and contained by law enforcement. While the individuals involved were not directly associated with BGCM, we unequivocally do not condone the alleged use of harmful words or actions on Club premises. Our organization will continue to provide the highest level of safety of all participants and attendees.”
KVEO reached out to Gonzalez and the team he was a part of, the RGV Huskies, for comment.
