CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — Two Cherokee County youth baseball coaches are off the field after a fight between them during a game. The fight happened at Hobgood Park off Towne Lake Parkway in Woodstock on Halloween.
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Both coaches have been suspended for the rest of the season, and one is permanently banned from coaching at the park.
Parents say the coaches should have been setting an example for the kids. They say youth baseball is supposed to be about teaching kids teamwork and good sportsmanship, not watching the adults get physical over a disagreement.
“It’s definitely uncalled for,” parent Michele Goggins said.
The video shows the two men looking at a phone, then pointing toward the field and arguing over the players batting out of order.
Moments later, the two get in each other’s faces before one coach shoves the other in the head.
Another man steps between them, trying to break it up, before the argument moves off camera.
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“You would think the differences would be put aside for the benefit of the kids,” said Cameron Clark.
Parents we spoke with say no matter what sparked the disagreement, there’s no excuse for getting physical, especially in front of young players who are 11 and 12 years old.
“I mean, everyone has disagreements on calls and decisions, but, you know, aggression, violence is unacceptable,” Goggins said.
The video has also raised questions about whether the coaches underwent background checks. Hobgood Baseball says every volunteer on the field or in the dugout had completed a background screening.
The Hobgood Baseball Board of Directors posted a statement to social media, calling the fight “completely unacceptable.”
The board says both coaches have been suspended for the remainder of the season. The coach who hit the other is now permanently prohibited from coaching at Hobgood.
“I think it’s a good call to make because you have to set precedence for, you know, the next time. There definitely should be a consequence,” Goggins said.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office told Channel 2 Action News that deputies were never called out about the fight and no one has filed a formal complaint.
At this point, there is no law enforcement investigation into what happened.
The Hobgood Baseball Board says it is still reviewing whether any additional disciplinary action is needed.
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