Commissioner Willie Marcial of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has finally cracked the whip on misbehaving PBA players.
It’s long overdue, actually.
So many times have we seen dirty plays being committed by cagers during PBA games; they usually escape punishment. And we love to call them role models of our youth?
I also commend Marcial for swiftly canning erring referees. And he didn’t spare even his own men. Deputy commissioner Eric Castro and PBA technical head Bong Pascual were also exacted one playdate ban each for rules lapses.
It all stemmed from Meralco’s Cliff Hodge’s serious physical handling of Magnolia’s Zavier Lucero during their game last week.
Hodge had held on a bit too long to Lucero’s head in one bruising engagement. Lucero was fortunate to escape serious injury.
But despite the brutality of the act, Hodge received a mere Flagrant 1 in an infraction that merited a Flagrant 2 (F2) foul and an outright ejection.
The two referees were also censured for their miscall.
“There were lapses in our technical procedure and Hodge should have been given an F2 on the spot,” said Marcial.
Marcial fined Hodge P100,000 and suspended him one game.
Will Hodge, who has since apologized, start reforming his ways?
Lucero, who never retaliated, called Hodge’s aggression “dirty play,” and got some help from Magnolia assistant coach Mon Jose, who head-butted Hodge in anger and was meted a P20,000 fine and a one-game suspension.
“I told Hodge, who had been summoned twice already, that the penalty will be harsher, which could mean a longer suspension, if this happens again,” said Marcial.
Hodge’s misconduct had actually triggered bench-clearing incidents from both sides before cooler heads finally prevailed.
It was a PBA black-eye, no doubt, and why it should happen at all still boggles the mind — given Marcial’s hands-on leadership.
It is every player’s credo to both play clean and to resolve not to harm a fellow player at all times because basketball is a job that feeds families. Is that hard to understand?
The late and former PBA commissioner Rudy Salud had consistently punished erring players with hefty sums to halt hardcourt hooliganism.
Seemingly, Marcial is now also going towards that same direction.
Just right, Comm.