Ex-Texas A&M baseball coach apologizes to reporter for tense interaction after accepting new job
'I wish I could have answered that better,' Jim Schlossnagle said
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A new chapter for college baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle has gotten off to a rough start.
After dropping the decisive Game 3 of the College World Series on Monday night, former Texas A&M coach Schlossnagle was asked during his postgame press conference about the rumors of his expected exit for another job opening.
Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle is shown during the game against Tennessee at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, on March 25, 2023. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
Schlossnagle didn’t take too kindly to the line of questioning and suggested that the reporter, later identified as TexAgs reporter Richard Zane, was "selfish" for asking such a question.
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"I left my family to be the coach at Texas A&M. I took the job at Texas A&M to never take another job again, and that hasn't changed in my mind. That's unfair to talk about something like that …" he said. "I understand you got to ask the question, but I gave up a big part of my life to come take this job, and I've poured every ounce of my soul in this job, and I've given this job every single ounce I can possibly give it. Write that."
But then the rumors became reality: Schlossnagle was taking the job with the Aggies’ in-state rival, the Texas Longhorns.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Social media erupted over the irony of the clip, with many calling for Schlossnagle to apologize for his harsh response.
Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle is shown at the postgame press conference after the SEC Baseball Tournament game against Tennessee at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on May 23, 2024. (Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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And so on Wednesday, he did.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I want to publicly apologize to Richard Zane from TexAgs," Schlossnagle said during his introductory press conference. "He's a young reporter. He asked the question that was an obvious question. I wish I could have answered that better. But in the moment – 30 minutes after the last pitch – all I could think about was our players."
"I really wasn't in the mood to talk about myself or the future. So, [I] apologize for that to Richard."
Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle is shown during the SEC Baseball Tournament game against Mississippi State at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama, on May 22, 2024. (Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Schlossnagle's departure followed the Aggies' loss to Tennessee in the championship game of the College World Series this week.
On Wednesday, he said he understood fans' reaction to the news of his exit.
"If I had left Texas A&M for some other school, in a different part of the country, the interesting text messages and messages that I got yesterday probably wouldn't have happened. But I get it."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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