Bailey O'Neill was a 12 year-old boy from Delaware County and a huge Phillies fan. One day he was beaten by a bully to the point where he was succumbing to seizures. Doctors medically-induced him into a coma to try to save him. Soon thereafter, he died. Bailey was buried in a Phillies jersey.
Bailey's father, Robert O'Neill, started an online petition at change.org for the Phillies to dedicate a night to Bailey's memory and create awareness about the effects of bullying. On the petition, he described his son:
At just twelve years old, my son Bailey was killed by bullying. Bailey was an honor student, a Phillies fan, and a loving brother. This January, two boys in his elementary school attacked him, punching him so hard he fractured his nose and hit his head on the ground. But even while Bailey was being attacked, he refused to resort to violence and never fought back. Just days after the attack, Bailey began having violent seizures and doctors were forced to put him into a medically-induced coma and on life support. He passed away on March 3rd, one day after his 12th birthday.
The petition currently sits at over 15,000 signatures. But, as Karen Araiza of NBC10 reports, the Phillies were one step ahead of O'Neill, as the team reached out to Bailey's grandfather:
[Team spokesperson Bonnie] Clark says the Phillies reached out to Bailey's family even before the petition was started… "We reached out to Bailey's grandfather during spring training. . .Right now we know that we're going to host Bailey's family during a home game on May 29, but we're still working out the details of how that will unfold."
Robert O'Neill hopes to bring awareness to what seems to quickly becoming an epidemic. He believes Bailey's story can inspire others to help end bullying.
Say what you want about the Phillies organization in terms of talent evaluation, payroll, and on-field decisions, but the Phillies are a classy organization. I have always believed that they genuinely care for every single one of their fans. Dave Montgomery at the top sets a tone that I have not seen replicated anywhere . I am grateful that they are willing to take the time to bring comfort to the O'Neill family and help others avoid this unspeakable tragedy again.
