Baseball coach ‘sorry’ after anti-gay slur caught on camera: ‘That language doesn’t reflect my values’

University baseball coach Tom Walter has apologised after he was caught on camera apparently using an anti-gay slur.

Tom Walter, the head coach at Wake Forest, issued a statement on Tuesday (3 June), after a video clip showed him using what appeared to be the homophobic F-slur. 

ESPN caught the incident on camera, which occurred during the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) regional game against the University of Tennessee, which Wake Forest lost 11-5.

Hey @WakeBaseball… why is your coach dropping homophobic slurs???????

Nice job, Tom Walter. #NCAABaseball | #RoadToOmaha | @NCAABaseball pic.twitter.com/fi4ANP3QDm

— Depressed New York Fan (@JudgeEnjoyer) June 2, 2025

“I am very sorry for my outburst in frustration last night and I recognise the hurt and disappointment it has caused. 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 this programme. 

“Regardless, I own the consequences and I apologise to the University of Tennessee, to Wake Forest University, and the SEC (Southeastern Conference) and ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference).”

It is not known who the comment was aimed at and there was no audio but the clip went viral, with his words clear to see, The Washington Post reported.

Wake Forest athletics director John Currie said he was “surprised and deeply disappointed” by Walter’s outburst. 

“I feel badly for those most hurt by such words,” Currie added. “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 incident occurred against a backdrop of increasingly toxic rhetoric in the US related to LGBTQ+ people’s inclusion in sport, with anti-trans pundit and former college swimmer Riley Gaines recently joining other sportswomen to sue the NCAA over its inclusion of trans people. 

The NCAA oversees several college-level sporting events, including ice hockey, basketball, swimming and wrestling. In February, it updated its participation policy, in response to US president Donald Trump’s executive order, directed at preventing trans women competing in female sports.

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