Slap on the wrist? PBA says it is punishing but not neglecting Amores

MANILA, Philippines – John Amores’ one-conference suspension from the PBA has stirred up discussion on the harshness — or lack thereof — of his punishment.

Fans on social media feel the NorthPort guard merely got a slap on the wrist even as he faces an attempted homicide charge for his involvement in a shooting incident in Laguna in September.

The gun-toting episode, which reportedly stemmed from a disagreement in a pickup game, marked another chapter in Amores’ violent history after his punching spree in the NCAA got him expelled from the JRU Heavy Bombers.

While Amores’ behavior goes against the image the PBA intends to project to its fans, commissioner Willie Marcial said the league cannot just abandon one of its own.

“These players are like our children. When we have children, we punish them, but we do not neglect them,” Marcial said in Filipino on Friday, October 11.

Amores’ sanction also brought up the case of Magnolia veteran Calvin Abueva, who got suspended for 16 months after a pair of on-court incidents that saw him clothesline an opposing import and figure in a verbal spat with a spectator.

Slapped with an indefinite ban by the PBA in June 2019, Abueva missed almost three conferences before the league lifted his suspension in October 2020.

PBA legal counsel Ogie Narvasa said Abueva and the legendary Robert Jaworski Sr., who got banned for life by the Basketball Association of the Philippines in 1971 for assaulting a referee before being reinstated in 1973, came to mind when they discussed Amores’ fate in the league.

“They are like our children. Hopefully this is the turning point for them,” Narvasa said in a mix of English and Filipino.

“We only expect them to get their lives together. We’re giving them all the opportunities to better themselves, to be better players, to be better citizens.”

Amores will not receive salary for all his games next conference, although he is allowed to join the Batang Pier in their practices, for which he will still get a portion of his wage.

The PBA said isolating Amores from his normal environment will hamper his rehabilitation.

“It is under normal settings, including the challenges and stress they create, where he can fully exercise tolerance and restraint,” the league said in a statement.

He must also subject himself to counseling to “address his anger and violent tendencies” and secure a clearance to play from his counselor. – Rappler.com