Pat White Regrets the Distractions

Well, that didn't take too long. Late last night, the West Virginia Athletic Department issued the following from Pat White.

"Thinking back on my recent comments at Big East media day, I believe that I may have overstated my feelings on college baseball and the WVU baseball program," White said in a statement released late this afternoon by the Mountaineers' athletic department. "I have not played collegiate baseball in the past because I have concentrated on football and building on our success with my football family. I am sorry my comments have caused so many distractions. I am looking forward to putting this behind me and getting on the practice field with my teammates on Saturday."

It's not exactly an admission that he was wrong in his statements earlier this week. Statements that all but said the West Virginia baseball coach, Greg Van Zant, was racist.

Instead, White says he "may have overstated" his feelings. That, the reason he did not play baseball at WVU was only because he focused on football. There is no apology to Van Zant, only for causing "so many distractions."

A West Virginia spokesman did manage to come up with the names of six African-American players for West Virginia in Van Zant's tenure.

The only person to defend or say anything good about Van Zant in the national media, has been the ex-WVU-coach-turned-West-Virginia-pariah, Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez.

"In my opinion, Greg Van Zant is a good guy and a good coach. I don't know what would drive Pat to say that. When I was there, he never stirred up anything, but he's entitled to think what he wants to."

Van Zant and WVU Athletic Director Ed Pasitlong have still not been heard from on this whole thing.