Most of you may have seen a short version of this article in USA Today. What have we become in our society.
September 14, 2006
UNIONTOWN, Pa. - A T-Ball coach was so determined to win that he asked an 8-year-old to injure an autistic teammate so he couldn't play, a prosecutor told jurors today as the coach's trial came to an end.
Mark R. Downs Jr., 29, of Dunbar, is accused of offering to pay one of his players $25 to hit a 9-year-old autistic teammate with a ball while warming up before a June 2005 playoff game.
``In Mark Downs' mind, this was his coaching ability versus the other coach's ability. This was a competition,'' Fayette County District Attorney Nancy Vernon said in her closing argument.
Earlier, defense attorney Thomas Shaffer told jurors that Downs was telling the truth when he denied offering to pay Keith Reese Jr. to hurt Harry Bowers, a mildy autistic and mildly retarded boy.
Shaffer said it's likely that Reese concocted the story when he realized he hurt Bowers, and then couldn't change the story after he told his parents.
``When it's your child, parents really put their flesh and blood in the best possible light. They never think objectively. ... Sometimes children fall under a lot of pressure and don't tell the truth,'' Shaffer said.
Shaffer said Downs, a volunteer coach, had no motive to injure Bowers and had promised to play him in the third inning of the game.
Prosecutors allege that Downs didn't want to play Bowers because he was not as skilled as his teammates. League rules require each player to play at least three innings.
Downs is charged with criminal solicitation to commit aggravated assault, corruption of minors, reckless endangerment and other counts. Downs testified that he would never hurt a child to win a game.
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