Coach Tab Baldwin was asked to 'refrain from making public statements' by Ateneo

Ateneo Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin was asked to "refrain from making public statements" about the drowning incident in Aurora.

In a statement on Thursday, Ateneo de Manila University President Fr. Roberto Yap addressed concerns regarding Baldwin's silence, clarifying that it was a request from the university rather than a personal decision.

"The University wishes to clarify that Coach Tab Baldwin's silence following the tragedy was not a personal decision made independently of the University," he said.

"The University requested that Coach Baldwin refrain from making public statements to allow the official processes to proceed and the facts to be established before any public discussion of the matter," Yap continued.

Yap said that they adviced Baldwin to focus on the "emotional and psychological welfare of the players, coaches, and staff affected by the incident," and his own.

"At a time when our priority was caring for those most directly affected, we believed it was neither appropriate nor helpful to ask Coach Baldwin to engage in public commentary while the community was mourning and while the circumstances surrounding the incident were still being examined," read the statement.

Yap said that Baldwin's silence should "not be misconstrued as indifference or a lack of concern" but instead shows the university is prioritizing care, healing, and due process over public discussion.

"As the various inquiries proceed, the University remains confident that the truth, established through facts rather than speculation, will in due course provide the clarity and understanding that this tragedy demands," the statement ended.

Baldwin made his first appearance since the accident at the candle-lighting vigil for the late athletes in Ateneo on June 11. The Ateneo Men’s Basketball Team was also in attendance.