A 32-year-old umpire was found unresponsive in a park bathroom before a youth baseball tournament in Mooresville, North Carolina, and police say fentanyl was involved. He was revived with Narcan and then charged with drug possession.
- Who: Austin Lynn Beaver, 32, an umpire scheduled to work the tournament, according to police.
- Where: A bathroom at Mazeppa Park in Mooresville, NC.
- When: Shortly after 8 a.m., ahead of the tournament.
- What happened: Beaver was found unresponsive and given Narcan, the overdose-reversal medication.
- Charges: Drug possession, per police.
- Substance: Police say the cause was fentanyl.
Every youth sports parent has wondered at some point who exactly is standing behind the plate. Most of the time the answer is a dedicated official dealing with a lot of yelling for modest pay. This story is a hard reminder that the people entrusted with youth games are, like anyone else, people with lives that can go sideways, and sometimes it happens in a park restroom at 8 a.m.
The incident has prompted questions about how youth sports officials are vetted and supervised, a topic that tournament organizers and league administrators deal with constantly, especially amid ongoing officiating shortages.
Narcan did its job here, and a person is alive because someone found him in time. Charges are allegations, and any further details on the case would come from police and the courts.
Source: Reddit: r/Homeplate