Will Wade Addresses NC State Logo Drama Following Home Win
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RALEIGH — While NC State men's basketball got a much-needed win over Syracuse on Tuesday, some unfortunate drama surrounding the program happened off the court. It stemmed from a debate and comment about the Wolfpack's retro uniforms, which the team wore during the season opener and the Heritage Game at Reynolds Coliseum, both wins for the program.
After the reveal of an email exchanged between the university marketing department and the athletic department sparked a vitriolic reaction from fans on social media, Wade took accountability for what he believed to be unfair treatment of an NC State employee and a misunderstanding of the direction the marketing department had for the athletic program.
The initial issue
The problem started on Thursday during the "Wolfpack Weekly" radio show, on which Wade is a weekly guest with play-by-play announcer Matt Chazanow. An audience question asked the coach how much pull Wade has in deciding the uniforms and branding for the team's clothing during the season and whether he controls when the team wears the 1983 throwback "STATE" jerseys.
"I don't have much of a say. I like them. We should (wear them)," Wade began. "We've played well in them both times we've worn them. I think it connects us to our past, connects to our history. I like the slobbering wolf (logo). I actually want to wear the slobbering wolf, but they won't let me wear that on my jacket. I mean, look, it's a bureaucracy like anything.
"There's so much red tape. There's so much stuff you've got to go through, but I like the uniforms. Hopefully, we can bust them out one more time this year. I'm one of those guys... I like to ask for forgiveness, not permission. We got a scathing email from the University after our first game. They were not happy. I don't think they quite knew we were wearing the "State" ones."
Wade added that he ran the idea by the upper-level athletic department administrators, who approved of the retro uniforms for the first game. The part of that quote that stirred trouble was the fact that Wade revealed the existence of an email. Through public records requests by On3, the email became public, with fans seeing what the exchange was.
The email
The email that Will Wade referred to about the "STATE" jerseys, via an open records request: https://t.co/bNqsG7L09c pic.twitter.com/35JVp9icMJ
— Noah Fleischman (@fleischman_noah) January 27, 2026
Wade's apology
Following social media outrage from fans after the revelation of the email, particularly the part about there being "no story or reasoning for using them," Wade took accountability for his statements and apologized after the Wolfpack's win over Syracuse.
"Before we get into the game tonight, I want to address my comments on our retro uniforms and logo usage," Wade began. "I never intended for this to get out of hand. I appreciate our fans. Our fans are incredible. Their energy, their passion. There's nothing like it in college athletics and college basketball, but the attacks on our strategic brand management staff, there's no place for that."
Will Wade's entire 2-minute apology regarding this week's Slobber Wolf saga. https://t.co/LEXIxIcyGo pic.twitter.com/Ouf2v73Rst
— Kate Rogerson (@KateRogersonTV) January 28, 2026
Wade's two-minute apology cleared the air on the issue and likely put to rest any hopes of a potential transition to the slobbering wolf or the "STATE" uniforms being a mainstay for the Wolfpack.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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