CONTROVERSY once again hounded the MPBL playoffs when a clear punch from Basilan Starhorse veteran Arwind Santos left GenSan Warriors bruiser Tonton Bringas with an eye injury on Monday night.
Social media posts from Bringas' camp demanded 'accountability and justice' as they shared photos of Bringas being examined and treated at ACE Hospital in Malolos, Bulacan after the game at the Malolos Sports and Convention Center.
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The incident comes just two months after another GenSan player, Michole Sorela, was handed a lifetime ban and slapped with a P200,000 penalty for a punch that sent Mindoro Tamaraws forward Jonas Tibayan to the hospital.
In Monday's Game Two of their South Division quarterfinal, Santos and Bringas were jostling for position inside the lane when the former PBA MVP unleashed a punch that caught the Warriors forward in the left eye.
Santos was ejected from the game which Basilan won after two overtimes, 116-114, but he is expected to be hit with more penalties after a league review.
Calls and messages to MPBL officials have yet to get a response.
According to a post by Julie Ann De Ocampo, Bringas suffered a wound in the eyelid and doctors are looking at possible vision and nose injuries. The former FEU player is waiting to be admitted, the post added.
"This is not just part of the game — this is a life potentially changed forever," De Ocampo said.
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