ESPN documentary "The Walkout" features Fort Myers baseball team ripped apart by racial slur

The 2023 Fort Myers baseball season – and the fallout surrounding an assistant coach’s use of a racial slur in a group chat – was captured in a 30-minute ESPN documentary released on Saturday.

The 30-minute YouTube video titled “The Walkout: A Florida baseball team's battle - against itself” follows an April ESPN story by Howard Bryant.

The documentary chronicled the tumultuous season, which was canceled following the removal of the team's head coach and a walkout that excluded two Black players, and included interviews from three players from the team and their parents.

More: Fort Myers High School cancels remainder of baseball season after team walkout

Here are some of the key revelations.

Players on the team spoke out for the first time

The families of Tate Reilly and Madrid Tucker filed federal civil rights lawsuits against the Lee County School District and seven individual defendants earlier this year.

Both Reilly and Tucker expressed how they felt as they witnessed players and coaches walking out of the dugout after Reilly’s leadoff at-bat, leaving them alone on the field.

“I was just in shock, disbelief,” Tucker said. “I didn’t know what to do.”

Fort Myers player Jackson McKee, who is biracial, was also interviewed for the documentary. He said he did not participate in the walkout, and there were about four or five players who stayed behind and shook hands with the opposing team.

In the documentary, he apologized to Reilly and Tucker.

“This walkout was not a direct stab at them,” McKee said. “The walkout had different intentions, and I’m sorry y’all felt abandoned on the field.”

Assistant coach’s removal caused a split within the team

Assistant coach Alex Carcioppolo posted and deleted a message with a racial slur to a team group chat on Feb. 14, 2023. He was removed the next day and that decision, according to the documentary, led to immediate tension within the team.

Some players on the team defended Carcioppolo, and parents got involved with some assigning blame to Reilly and Tucker for the coach's removal, according to the documentary.

“Everything turned after the text,” Reilly said. “Kids would look at us different, they wouldn’t invite us places, they wouldn’t include us in certain things. The coaches changed toward me and Madrid after the text.”

Why head coach Kyle Burchfield was removed

The walkout occurred following head coach Kyle Burchfield’s removal on April 6. The documentary revealed that Burchfield was temporarily removed following a complaint to Fort Myers High School by the Reilly family that he was physical with Tate.

The allegation was included in the Reillys' federal lawsuit, claiming Burchfield grabbed and shook Tate.

Burchfield has denied the allegation.

Coaches played a part in orchestrating the walkout

The documentary clarified that players and parents were in the dark about the reason behind Burchfield’s removal.

McKee said he learned about the walkout, organized in support of Burchfield, when he received a call from a coach and several senior players on the team. McKee was urged to participate.

McKee’s mother, Denise McKee, said she contacted administrators to inform them about the walkout.

Reilly was put in as the leadoff hitter, followed by Tucker. Reilly said he had never batted leadoff before. Players and coached began leaving the field after Reilly's at-bat.

“Administration needed to step in,” Jackson McKee said. “They were given the resources and information that this was going to happen. They should have stepped in and stopped it or did something to seem like they didn’t want this to happen.”

Police body cam footage showed heated reactions after walkout

According to the documentary, Fort Myers athletic director Steven Cato contacted a police officer before the game started. That officer’s body cam footage was featured in the documentary, showcasing the aftermath of the walkout as officers attempted to de-escalate arguments between parents and get everyone to leave Terry Park.

“I was concerned with my own safety,” Tate Reilly said. “I knew that, if I stepped off this field, it was not going to end well.”

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: ESPN documentary "The Walkout" features Fort Myers baseball team ripped apart by racial slur