Jim Schlossnagle publicly applogizes to Texas A&M reporter for dismissal of Texas question

Jim Schlossnagle was formally introduced as the Texas head coach on Wednesday morning. Just a couple of days removed from seeing his season at Texas A&M end in national championship heartbreak, Schlossnagle is wearing burnt orange. Unsurprisingly, there has been some backlash about the head coach’s handling of the situation.

During the postgame press conference on Monday, Schlossnagle took exception to a question about his future. He called the reporter “selfish” and said he took the Texas A&M job “to never take another job again.”

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When asked about the comments on Wednesday, was apologetic for the moment, saying his mind was focused on the players.

“I want to publicly apologize to Richard Zane from TexAgs,” Schlossnagle said. “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 wasn’t really in the mood to talk about myself or the future. So, I apologize for that to Richard.”

Schlossnagle spent three seasons in College Station, making two College World Series. At one point, Texas A&M was seven outs away from hoisting the program’s first national championship in the big three sports since pre-World War II. Even with the loss to Tennessee, Schlossnagle would have been a legend for a long time.

So to some, the idea of leaving for the in-state rival was an absurd thought. But with rumors swirling, a reporter felt the need to ask just moments of Texas A&M’s loss, leading to this response from Schlossnagle.

“I think it’s pretty selfish of you to ask me that question, to be honest with you,” Schlossnagle said following the game. “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. That would be like you asking Montgomery if he’s going to sign in the draft. But I understand you gotta 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.”

No matter how he handled leaving Texas A&M, Schlossnagle is now the head coach at Texas. He will lead the Longhorns into the SEC and hopes to replicate the success he’s had elsewhere. Reuniting with a “longtime friend” in Chris Del Conte, the move reportedly had been in the works for a couple of months.