Tab Baldwin speaks up about Baterbonia, Adili deaths: 'To the depth of my being, I'm sorry'

For the first time, Ateneo de Manila University head coach Tab Baldwin spoke about the deaths of student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili.

READ MORE | Ateneo recruit Rene Baterbonia, foreign student athlete Divine Adili die in drowning incident

In a video posted by the university on Friday, Baldwin apologized to the families of the players.

"I'm sorry. To the depth of my being, I'm sorry," Baldwin said.

Baldwin also recalled the moments that happened during the unfortunate incident.

“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. We did everything that we could,” Baldwin said.

“As coaches, as people responsible for that situation, the players themselves did everything they could to ensure that everybody arrived back on shore safely. And then we realized that we hadn't accomplished that.”

“And in that moment, I experienced the descent into the darkest place imaginable. And yet I knew at the same time that good people, people that had done an amazing job raising these two young men, were going to be in an even darker, more horrible place,” Baldwin added.

“At that moment, I felt I had failed. I failed as a leader. I felt I had failed as a coach.”

Baldwin added he felt like he failed not just only Adili and Baterbonia, but also his team.

“When later I faced the team to try to be a leader in that moment, I felt that I failed them too,” he said.

“And that left me with really the only thing that I've been clinging to for the last several days — that as part of a community of faith, to pray, to pray that the Lord embraces our two boys. To pray that the Lord gives peace, comfort, some sense of sanity to the Baterbonia family and the Adili family.

“And I continue to beseech everybody that cared for, loves, loved Rene and Divine and their families. Please keep praying. I think that my voice in prayer is hoarse now, but it will never be enough.”

Baldwin acknowledged the magnitude of the grief the families of the late players are experiencing are much more significant than his and his team's.

“We're carrying immense remorse. But 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. Never again would Rene's mother and father and family, never again would Divine's family be able to talk to their son or touch their son.”

“Yes, as a coach, I lost my boys too. Never again would I be able to help them develop into the basketball player they wanted to be, to help them grow into the young man that they promised that they could be. But that's insignificant compared to what your families are experiencing.”

“As a coach, we are entrusted with the growth of our basketball players, the development of these young men into future professionals. 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.”

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

“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.”

This is the first time that Baldwin spoke up about the tragic incident, as Ateneo on Thursday said it had advised the Blue Eagles coach to refrain from speaking publicly about the issue.

—JMB, GMA News