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Danny Williams won’t be facing sanctions for his softball team’s role in brawl

Sep 4, 2018 | 2:15 PM

ST. CROIX, N.S. — Former Newfoundland and Labrador premier Danny Williams will not be facing sanctions for his small role in a weekend dustup in rural Nova Scotia between two men’s softball teams, one of which he happens to own.

Mike Branchaud, a spokesman for Softball Canada, confirmed Williams was on the field Saturday night in St. Croix, N.S., soon after a collision between two opposing players at home plate in the first inning.

Branchaud said the famously pugnacious former premier was “part of the team staff there.”

Williams’s Newfoundland Galway Hitmen were competing with the B.C. Sooke Loggers in the 2018 Men’s Canadian Fast Pitch Championship, which the Hitmen won.

Soon after the collision, a few punches were thrown, most of the Hitmen left their bench and there was a brief flurry of pushing and shoving on the infield.

A video taken from behind home plate shows Hitmen managers walking briskly onto the field, but none of them appear to take part in the fighting.

“It lasted probably a whole 20 seconds — the actual shoving,” said Branchaud. “Both teams were given warnings and a strict talking-to … No staff members were involved. It was strictly players.”

A few Newfoundland players were ejected from the game and the Loggers’ catcher received a game suspension.

“It was an unfortunate incident and it was dealt with accordingly,” said Branchaud. “A lot of players patched things up that evening.”

The Canadian Press