Vandy's Kevin Stallings: 'I am disappointed in me'

• Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings apologized for a profanity-laced rant at player Wade Baldwin.
• Athletic director David Williams said punishment of Stallings would be %22handled internally.%22
• Stallings will coach the Commodores on Saturday at Memorial Gym against Alabama.

For nearly 17 minutes Friday, Vanderbilt basketball coach Kevin Stallings apologized.

Stallings addressed a press conference to answer for breaking his own rules of behavior in a profanity-laced rant at one of his players that was captured on national TV after a come-from-behind win at Tennessee on Thursday night.

"What didn't I do wrong? I probably did about everything wrong that you can do," Stallings said. "I used the wrong language, used the wrong words, (at the) wrong time. I haven't found anything right about it yet."

Stallings avoided a suspension, as athletic director David Williams said in a statement that his punishment would be "handled internally" for "offensive and inflammatory language." Stallings said he told Williams, "Whatever punishment, there will be no argument from me. I deserve whatever."

But Stallings, Vanderbilt's all-time winningest coach, said for the players' sake, he was relieved that he would get to coach the Commodores (16-12, 6-9 SEC) against Alabama (17-11, 7-8) on Saturday (3 p.m., SportSouth).

"(A suspension) would've been another distraction to the team," Stallings said. "Part of the thing I feel so badly about in addition to my bad behavior is that our team won a hell of a game last night. And today nobody is talking about our performance, and I took that focus off of them. That's awful."

The incident occurred seconds after Vanderbilt rallied to beat rival UT 73-65 in Knoxville. But the postgame incident, not the victory, gained national attention — sparking debates on TV and social media about what type of confrontation and language should be acceptable from a coach to a player, especially in public.

While proceeding through the postgame handshake line, Stallings lashed out profanely at freshman point guard Wade Baldwin for clapping gleefully at UT player Armani Moore at the final horn. UT video coordinator Ty Proffitt alerted Stallings to it.

ESPN cameras picked up audio of Stallings confronting Baldwin and demanding he apologize to Moore.

"Get the (expletive) up here. Whose face did he get in?" said Stallings, according to ESPN's transcript of the audio. "(Expletive) apologize. Mother (expletive) we don't do that. I'll (expletive) kill you. (Expletive) mouthing off. (Expletive) I told you a hundred times."

Stallings said after seeing game film, Baldwin's clapping "was not quite as egregious as it felt like in that moment."

Baldwin walked off the court after practice Friday shortly after Stallings stepped in front of the media. No Vanderbilt players were made available for interviews.

Baldwin defended Stallings on Twitter after the game, writing "Coach Stallings is the best coach in America. I felt no offense to anything. We are both fiery people and that's why I chose Vandy."

Stallings echoed that comparison on Friday.

"Wade Baldwin is a terrific kid. … He is a little edgy, which is honestly most of the time a good thing," Stallings said. "His coach is a little edgy, which most of the time is a good thing. Sometimes that edge is a liability, which it was for me last night."

Dr. Mark Anshel, a sports psychologist, said Stallings had good intentions but poor execution.

"The issue Coach Stallings was addressing of good sportsmanship is fine. But the manner in which he addressed it was over the top, humiliating and non-constructive," said Anshel, professor emeritus at MTSU. "This wasn't like (physical assaults of coaches on players), not even in the same ballpark. But it was ugly."

Baldwin scored 13 points against UT and added to his record as Vanderbilt's all-time freshman assist leader. Stallings tied Tubby Smith for sixth place in wins as an SEC coach, earning his 308th victory with the Commodores.

But neither topic was mentioned in postgame coverage of the victory. Instead, ESPN analysts pondered if Stallings should be suspended. Others defended the coach for showing instant discipline for a player that wasn't gracious in victory.

"It's a slow news day. If there was something significant happening in the world of sports, this would have a lower profile," Stallings said. "But we needed some news, and I provided it. ESPN can thank me for that, I guess."

Reach Adam Sparks at 615-259-8010 and on Twitter @AdamSparks.