Tab Baldwin speaks about athletes’ deaths: ‘To the depth of my being I’m sorry’

Former Tall Blacks coach Tab Baldwin says he feels he has failed the families of two athletes who drowned on a training exercise in the Philippines.

The American-Kiwi spoke in a video posted on X by Ateneo de Manila University four days after students Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili from the Ateneo Blue Eagles basketball team lost their lives.

Baldwin has been stood down as coach while the university and government agencies investigate the incident in Dipaculao, in northeast Philippines.

Baldwin coached the Tall Blacks from 2001 to 2006 and was in charge when they placed fourth at the 2002 world championships. He is in the New Zealand Basketball Hall of Fame.

He has led Ateneo to four championship wins in the Philippines university basketball league.

In an eight-minute message, Baldwin apologised to the families of the two students and spoke of his remorse, saying he failed them.

“I’ve known since the moment that I was told that our boys had passed away that no matter the magnitude of our grief, there were two families that experienced a loss that was so much greater than ours and a loss that would stay with them in the most acute way for the remainder of their lives,” he said.

Baldwin said coaches were entrusted with developing young men and preparing them for professional careers.

“But mostly, as a coach, I’m entrusted by you, the parents and the families, with first and foremost their well-being. And in this, I feel I’ve failed. And I’m sorry. To the depth of my being, I’m sorry,”

Statements by the university had said the team members were on a conditioning exercise near the shoreline but strong waves swept several of them into deeper water. The others were rescued but Rene and Divine did not make it back alive.

“On that fateful day when we sent the players out for a routine training run and what we thought was shallow water, up to the moment when we realised that whatever had happened, they were in dangerous water,” Baldwin said.

“We did everything that we could as coaches, as people responsible for that situation,” he said.

“The players themselves did everything they could to ensure that everybody arrived back on shore safely. And then we realised that we hadn’t accomplished that.”

Baldwin, whose address was punctuated by pauses, finished his address speaking about religious faith and hope for the future.

“I’m so deeply sorry,” he said. “And I’m so deeply sorry to not just the families but everybody that feels let down, somehow betrayed.

“And I pray that we all find some pathway forward to come back to 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.

“I wish peace for everybody. I wish comfort for everybody who is hurting and I pray that we will all find that. God bless you all.”

The Philippines’ National Bureau of Investigation has set up a taskforce to investigate whether safety protocols were followed.

The Labour Department said it would investigate whether Baldwin held a valid employment permit.

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