Kevin Stallings Apologizes for Profane Comment Toward Wade Baldwin IV

Vanderbilt head basketball coach Kevin Stallings apologized Thursday for profane language he used toward freshman Commodores guard Wade Baldwin IV.

Stallings was caught on camera saying to Baldwin, "I'm going to f-----g kill you," among other choice words, following Vanderbilt's 73-65 victory at Tennessee. The issue was rooted in Baldwin's taunting of Volunteers forward Armani Moore once the game at Thompson-Boling Arena had concluded.

ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman reported what Stallings had to say on the matter:

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I handled it completely inappropriately and I apologized to Wade—and I need to apologize to our fans and the Vanderbilt administration. Having said that, and it may seem as though I'm trying to rationalize my behavior, sportsmanship will continue to be a high priority. I did not mean it in the literal sense and I've never touched a player in all my years as a coach. That's not me. I will learn from this and handle this situation differently in the future.

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On Friday, Goodman reported that Stallings will not be suspended.

Goodman also reported that Stallings has had to bring the issue of unsportsmanlike conduct to Baldwin's attention before, citing sources with knowledge of their player-coach dynamic.

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David Cobb of the Knoxville News Sentinel added more from Stallings about Baldwin specifically, which corroborates Goodman's reporting on the pair's relationship:

Chris Low of ESPN weighed in on the situation:

However, Baldwin had this to say:

It's unlikely that Stallings' job security will be in jeopardy following his controversial, colorful choice of words. He's been the head coach at Vandy since 1999 and has made six NCAA tournaments there. His record at the school is 308-204 (.602 winning percentage).

Vandy improved to 16-12 (6-9 SEC) with its second straight win Thursday and will play host to Alabama on Saturday.