Coach Pays Player to Take Out Teammate

[bigbluepride35]

Coach Allegedly Paid Player to Hit Boy

By ALLISON SCHLESINGER, Associated Press Writer

2 hours, 8 minutes ago

A T-ball coach allegedly paid one of his players $25 to hurt an 8-year-old mentally disabled teammate so he wouldn't have to put the boy in the game, police said Friday.

Mark R. Downs Jr., 27, of Dunbar, is accused of offering one of his players the money to hit the boy in the head with a baseball, police said. Witnesses told police Downs didn't want the boy to play in the game because of his disability.

Source

If the allegations prove to be true, that's plain despicable. It's a kids' t-ball team for crying out loud! And he was EIGHT!!!! Not only did he take out a kid but he corrupted another. Sick ****ing ******. The man should never be allowed near a children's team again.

Edited July 16, 2005 by bigbluepride35

[revvo]

When reading the title, I laughed but once I started reading the article I was saddened by how pathetic and sickening of a display this is.

[Chanser]

He will do anything to win a game :/.

[Crimson Behelit]

:o

[webeagle12]

just sad what people do for money

Coach - make him clean NYC subway bathrooms ( some of u know how horrific they are)

Student = Expell

[mattmatik]

Mark R. Downs Jr., 27, of Dunbar, is accused of offering one of his players the money to hit the boy in the head with a baseball, police said. Witnesses told police Downs didn't want the boy to play in the game because of his disability.

Link

What a ****ing moron. People like this make me sick...IT'S A DAMN T-BALL GAME! I'm just as competitive as the next guy but Jesus, I'd rather win with my whole team than have to do some crap like this. He should be robbed of his manhood. What if he had a kid born with disabilities?

:angry:

[bigbluepride35]

Um, just so you know. https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=344884

Probably would've been better put here to begin with but wasn't quite sure. Anyway, yeah like I said in the other thread it's just plain pathetic. You're coaching kids and it's t-ball for crying out loud.

[Ayepecks]

Holy crap, that's pathetic.

[ConfusedFusion]

we got multiple threads running for the same news......

[quick]

jesus, omg that makes me so angry... :angry:

[sachleen]

omg, i would pay that kid 50 to kill the coach.

[Doli]

Just to win a game :no:

thats is just sad, whats happen to just having fun at that age, save that competitive stuff until they get older, but dont do what he wanted

[Hitman2000]

This is sick, for gods sake its a team full of 8-9 year olds, what the hell was he thinking that this is the MLB world series or something.

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

Sounds to me like this coach was a failure at his chosen sport and as such is just too competitive with kids. Sick!

[sdb815]

omg, i would pay that kid 50 to kill the coach.

586221737[/snapback]

Good idea, I'm with you. (Y)

[....]

Moved and Merged

[bayrider]

i'll hit the coach in the back of the head for free as his punishment, forget the legal system for once

[odious_m]

Coach Allegedly Paid Player to Injure Boy

By ALLISON SCHLESINGER, Associated Press Writer

Sat Jul 16, 5:38 AM ET

PITTSBURGH - A T-ball coach allegedly paid one of his players $25 to hurt an 8-year-old mentally disabled teammate so he wouldn't have to put the boy in the game, police said Friday.

Mark R. Downs Jr., 27, of Dunbar, is accused of offering one of his players the money to hit the boy in the head with a baseball, police said. Witnesses told police Downs didn't want the boy to play in the game because of his disability.

Police said the boy was hit in the head and in the groin with a baseball just before a game, and didn't play, police said.

"The coach was very competitive," state police Trooper Thomas B. Broadwater said. "He wanted to win."

Downs has an unpublished telephone number and couldn't immediately be reached for comment Friday. It was unclear whether he had an attorney.

He was arrested and arraigned Friday on charges including criminal solicitation to commit aggravated assault and corruption of minors. He was released from jail on an unsecured bond.

The alleged assault happened June 27 in North Union Township, about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, authorities said.

The boy's mother asked state police to investigate her son's injuries because she suspected Downs wanted to keep the boy off the field, despite a league rule that required each player to participate in three innings a game, Broadwater said.

Eric Forsythe, the president of the R.W. Clark Youth Baseball League, said Downs had two daughters on the T-ball team.

League organizers investigated accusations against Downs before the T-ball season ended earlier this month but could not prove that he did anything wrong. If Downs is convicted of any crime, he won't be allowed to be a coach next year, Forsythe said. The league is not affiliated with Little League International.

Sick world

[....]

merged

[AppleDave Veteran]

My god the kid was metally disabled, how sick can you be. I have a soft spot for handicap children and this just made me furious.