Baldwin: I'm sorry

Ateneo de Manila University head coach Tab Baldwin apologized to the families of Blue Eagles players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili following their deaths during a team-building activity last Monday.

In a video posted by the Katipunan-based school on Friday, the 68-year-old Kiwi-American mentor broke his silence days after the incident, confirming that both players died during one of their training routines in Aurora.

A wake was held for Baterbonia at Ateneo de Davao University, while Adili’s family requested that his remains be brought home to Nigeria.

“On that fateful day when we sent the players out for a routine training run in what we thought was shallow water, up to the moment when we realized that whatever had happened, they were in dangerous water and we did everything that we could as coaches, as people responsible for that situation,” Baldwin said.

“The players themselves did everything they could to ensure that everybody arrived back on shore safely. Then we realized that we hadn't accomplished that.”

Baldwin admitted that he failed to look after his players and apologized to the families the two players left behind.

“At that moment, I felt that I had failed. I failed as a leader. I felt I had failed as a coach. I certainly felt like I had failed as a friend to Divine and Rene and, when later I faced the team to try to be a leader in that moment, I felt that I failed them too,” Baldwin said.

“I'm so deeply sorry to not just the families, but everybody who feels let down, somehow betrayed, and I pray that we all find some pathway forward to regain hope for the future, love for one another, and forgiveness for those of us who failed and tried so desperately hard to reach a better outcome.”

Baterbonia was supposed to make his debut for Ateneo in Season 89 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines after leading the Davao Region team to the finals of the 66th Palarong Pambansa in Agusan del Sur last May.

Meanwhile, Adili was hoping to make a bigger impact in his sophomore year with the Blue Eagles after averaging 8.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 11 appearances last year.