VIDEO: Faculty Baseball Ump Suspended for Unhealthy Name Says HBCU Followers Directed Racial Taunts at Him

A black faculty baseball umpire who went viral earlier this month for calling a strike on a pitch that was clearly a ball is now saying he was subjected to racial abuse all through the sport by followers supporting the Traditionally Black Faculty and College (HBCU) that was enjoying within the recreation.

The sport was between Mississippi Valley State College, an HBCU, and the College of New Orleans. Reggie Drummer, the umpire, was suspended by the Southland Convention for this name on a ball from the College of New Orleans pitcher that was clearly not within the strike zone.

In an interview with The Plate Assembly podcast this week, Drummer pulled again the veil on his weird name and claimed he had been subjected to racial taunts from the Mississippi Valley State facet.

“It started in the first inning. [Mississippi] Valley batted first as the visiting team,” Drummer informed the podcast hosts through Fox Information.

The HBCU followers, in line with Drummer, weren’t solely directing racial language at him but in addition accusing him of attempting to assist the opposite facet. One of many worst offenders, in line with Drummer, was the brother of Mississippi Valley State coach Milton Barney. A lot in order that Drummer had the skipper’s brother faraway from the stands.

In an interview with Fox Information Digital, coach Barney mentioned he didn’t hear the racial abuse directed at Drummer.

“I didn’t hear any of that. Of course, I’m trying to coach a baseball game,” Barney mentioned. “I think as a coach we’re not listening to the stands or what people in the stands are saying. So, we didn’t hear any racial slurs and nor did we say any racial slurs in the dugout. As far as the fans, I can’t speak to that because I’m not listening to that. I’m trying to coach a win a baseball game.”

Drummer did allege, nevertheless, that when Barney got here out to argue a modified name within the seventh inning, the coach made a difficulty of race.

“And that’s when he was implying that as a Black guy, I should be helping them win,” Drummer mentioned.

The College of New Orleans, Mississippi Valley State’s opponent, isn’t an HBCU and has a number of white gamers.

“I’m not upset,” Drummer continued. “I’m more hurt because I’m getting all this from my people when I know I’m calling a good game, I’m calling a fair game.”

Barney hotly disputed the accusation that he had requested Drummer to offer his staff charitable calls due to race. As an alternative, Barney claims he simply wished his staff “treated with the same respect he treated them [New Orleans].”

“As far as helping us win? We’re never going to ask for an umpire to help us win,” Barney informed Fox Information Digital. “To me that’s ridiculous.”

“Clearly I didn’t say anything to him of that nature because I stayed for the entirety of the game,” he continued. “If I would have been saying anything like that I’m pretty sure I would have been ejected. Like I said, there is no point where I was asking him to help us win the game.”

All of that led to the contentious scene on the finish of the sport when Drummer referred to as MVSU’s Davon Mims out on a pitch that was clearly not a strike.

“I called a bad pitch, which I regret,” Drummer mentioned. “I apologize for doing that, but I just wanted to get out of a hostile environment because I’d never been in a situation like that.”

Drummer returned to umpiring on March 10.