Tab Baldwin, team manager step down from Ateneo

Ateneo de Manila University announced Monday that men's basketball head coach Tab Baldwin and team manager Epok Quimpo have tendered their resignations, effective immediately.

University president Fr. Roberto Yap, SJ, disclosed the development exactly one week after the team-building activity that resulted in the deaths of Blue Eagles players Divine Adili and Rene Baterbonia.

Last Friday, Baldwin issued a statement through the university's official Facebook page, admitting that he had "failed" as both a coach and a friend to Adili and Baterbonia.

He also apologized to the families of the victims, the Ateneo community and everyone who felt "betrayed" by his actions.

Baldwin took over the Ateneo program in 2016 and engineered one of the most successful eras in the school's basketball history. Under his leadership, the Blue Eagles captured four UAAP men's basketball championships.

The team won three consecutive titles from Seasons 80 to 82, highlighted by a historic 16-0 sweep in 2019, before reclaiming the championship in Season 85.

The university has yet to announce Baldwin's successor or identify who will assume the role of team manager following Quimpo's resignation.

The resignations come as authorities continue investigating the circumstances surrounding the fatal team-building activity that claimed the lives of two Ateneo student-athletes.