Kevin Stallings Reportedly Won't Be Suspended for Postgame Incident

According to ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman, Vanderbilt won't suspend head basketball coach Kevin Stallings after he castigated freshman guard Wade Baldwin IV on Thursday night after a 73-65 win over the in-state rivals Tennessee Volunteers.

ESPN cameras caught Stallings telling Baldwin, "I'm going to f------g kill you," per Goodman.

Stallings said after the game, via Goodman:

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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 will learn from this and handle this situation differently in the future.

"

Vanderbilt's athletic director David Williams released a statement regarding the decision not to suspend Stallings. It read in part:

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I understand that Coach's action has generated discussion and opinions; we have heard from those supporting the coach's intent and from those angered and embarrassed by his comment. Coach Stallings apologized to the student-athlete after the game as well as issuing an immediate public apology. Vanderbilt considers this a personnel issue and as such it will be handled internally.

"

Baldwin's open gloating about the victory on the court in front of Tennessee junior forward Armani Moore sparked the incident. A Volunteers assistant coach informed Stallings of Baldwin's over-the-top celebrating, and Stallings quickly went to Baldwin to deal with the situation.

A source told Goodman that this wasn't the first time Baldwin crossed the line with his trash-talking and that Stallings had to rein him in.

Baldwin tweeted his support for Stallings afterward:

CBS Sports' Doug Gottlieb felt the whole situation was much ado about nothing:

Paul Finebaum countered that Stallings' actions were out of line and worthy of a suspension:

It's likely Stallings will face some sort of reprimand from the school, but he'll be on the court when Vanderbilt plays Alabama at home Saturday afternoon.