Tennessee baseball: Tony Vitello suspension had to happen

The background behind the spat is still unclear. There was no intentional violence either. However, you can’t allow players or coaches to make contact with umpires. As a result, Tennessee baseball head coach Tony Vitello had to be suspended by the SEC.

Vitello and assistant coach Frank Anderson were ejected in the first inning of the Vols’ 9-2 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the second of a three-game series at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday. What sparked it was unclear.

Still, after Vitello was tossed, he went back towards the third-base umpire he was screaming at and lightly made contact with him. Because of that, Vitello was suspended for four games starting with Sunday’s matchup against Alabama. He can return Sunday, April 24, for the last of a three-game series at the Florida Gators.

Debates will rage on for days as to whether or not the umpire flopped in the contact that was made. It’s certainly possible. However, it’s also irrelevant. This isn’t a rule within the game of basketball, where you have to have your feet set.

In this case, a player or coach who initiates contact with an umpire is always in the wrong. It’s a precedent you can never allow. Although Vitello didn’t throw any hands like Juwan Howard did with the Michigan Wolverines, the comparison is not the same, as contact with refs or umpires reaches a completely different level.

You can’t under any circumstances allow for an environment for a person making the calls in a game to be in danger of coming into physical contact with a player or coach. Umpires must be protected at all costs, and if somebody initiates contact with them, they’re always in the wrong.

It’s actually possible that the SEC determined the umpire did flop, which is why Vitello only received a four-game suspension. After all, that’s a serious enough offense by any objective measure that you could make the case for a season-long suspension.

Players and coaches for Tennessee baseball declaring open war on the world after the tested bat incident against the Vanderbilt Commodores two weeks ago certainly doesn’t help matters, but again, that’s irrelevant here. Contact with an ump is always a problem.

Based on the video, Vitello looked like the contact was genuinely accidental, as he was just trying to get back to yelling about whatever happened. It’s indisputable that the contact is his fault, though, whether or not the umpire flopped.

Josh Elander will lead Tennessee baseball as the acting coach until Vitello returns, which includes a Tuesday matchup against the Bellarmine Knights and then the next SEC series at Florida. UT should be fine until then, and maybe it’ll spark even more momentum. The suspension was the right call, though.