Wake Forest baseball coach Tom Walter issued an apology on Tuesday after a video clip during Monday night’s season-ending loss to Tennessee appeared to show him using a homophobic slur during an at-bat by Vols infielder Andrew Fischer.
‘I am very sorry for my outburst in frustration last night, and I recognize the hurt and disappointment it has caused,’ Walter said in a statement. ‘I have seen the videos and while I do not remember the specific moment clearly, that language doesn’t reflect my values or the standards of the program. Regardless, I own the consequences and I apologize to the University of Tennessee, to Wake Forest University, and the SEC & ACC.’
Wake Forest’s statement does not indicate whether Walter, who has been the school’s head coach since 2010, will be subject to further sanctions.
The incident occurred during the fourth inning, with Tennessee leading 6-2 in a game it would ultimately win 11-5 to advance to the super regional. It’s unclear to whom Walter was directing his displeasure, but ESPN’s camera cut to him as he was speaking toward somebody on the field. Though there was no audio available, the words he mouthed were obvious enough that the video clip immediately went viral. Strangely, Walter was not asked about it in his postgame news conference even though the clip had already been circulating widely for a couple hours.
Walter has built Wake Forest into one of the ACC’s top programs, with a College World Series appearance in 2023.
‘I am both surprised and deeply disappointed in our head coach Tom Walter for his outburst during last night’s baseball game,’ athletic director John Currie said. ‘I feel badly for those most hurt by such words. I spoke with Coach Walter immediately after the game and again this morning to address this incident, which is completely out of character for him and does not meet the standards of Wake Forest Athletics, Wake Forest University or the Atlantic Coast conference.’
The ACC did not immediately weigh in on the issue.
This marks the second high-profile incident of the NCAA baseball tournament highlighting poor behavior from a coach. On Monday, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin issued a statement admonishing coach Kevin O’Sullivan, who laced into tournament officials at the Coastal Carolina-hosted regional because the game was delayed for field maintenance, producing another video clip that went viral on social media.
Stricklin said O’Sullivan’s tirade ‘fell well short of expectations of how Gators treat people,’ and O’Sullivan apologized to the site representatives, saying he ‘let my emotions get the best of me and channeled that energy in a way I should not have.’