A HOST of players led by San Mig Coffee star Marc Pingris and Globalport's Kelly Nabong face stiff sanctions from the PBA after figuring in a rumble that marred the two teams' Governors Cup game on Wednesday night at the Cuneta Astrodome.
Pingris and Nabong were the central figures in one of the worst fights to happen in a PBA game in years, exchanging punches on San Mig's end of the court as all hell broke loose early in the third quarter of the match which the Mixers went on to win, 102-88.
Both players were ejected and have been summoned to appear before Commissioner Chito Salud, who is expected to crack the whip not only on Pingris and Nabong but on several others who got involved in the fight.
"That is a deplorable and lamentable incident," Salud said. "This has no place in the league."
San Mig's Joe Devance and Marvin Hayes were assessed technical fouls in the scuffle that started when Hayes and import Marqus Blakely got tangled up and fell to the floor following a fierce loose ball scuffle.
Devance was the first to react when Hayes appeared to kick Blakely in the head, shoving the Globalport new boy to the floor.
Nabong then jumped into the fray as he came to the aid of his teammate, shoving Blakely hard. Pingris then threw a punch at Nabong as the two went at it for several seconds before the fight was finally broken up.
At one point, San Mig coach Tim Cone went down on all fours while trying to hold on to Nabong in his desire to break up the fight.
Here's a video of the fight uploaded on the video-sharing site Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIwGXEbbWfI
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