CHICAGO - After a tedious, and often acrimonious, contract impasse, a deal is now in place for Mark Nonoy to return to the Iloilo United Royals of the MPBL.
Royals team owner JJ Javelosa told me in a telephone interview that he reached out to Nonoy on Friday and both sides agreed that this was the best path moving forward.
Barring any hitches, the former La Salle gunner is expected to participate in team activities next week in time for IloIlo's next assignment on September 11 versus Binan Tatak Gel Beast.
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Last February, Nonoy signed with the Royals for a contract that paid him P50,000 a month plus another P50,000 in bonuses and incentives, Javelosa said.
Five months later on July 14, the 5-foot-8 guard was taken by Terrafirma as their No. 10 pick (first round) in the 2024 Rookie Draft.
And that's when things got complicated.
IN A STATE OF LIMBO.
Noynoy's contract with Iloilo is valid until "the end of season." And until such time occurs, the Royals cannot issue a release that will allow him to enter into a contract with Terrafirma.
Javelosa insists that he has no hesitation releasing Nonoy but the team owner also intimated that he is obligated to adhere to an internal MPBL memo that disallows "bought-out/released players to play in other organized leagues while the season is ongoing."
In a separate interview, Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes told me that while the MPBL encourages and supports players' migration triggered by desires for career advancement, he also has a duty "to protect the owners."
So how did Nonoy somehow get into this contractual bind knowing full well that he was entering the draft and that the Governors' Cup was going to overlap with the MPBL season?
Apparently, sources said, Nonoy didn't have agent representation when he signed with the Royals. Only his then coach, MC Abolucion, helped Mark navigate the thicket of legal jargon and important dates.
Nonoy has since hired the FIBA-accredited Marvin Espiritu, one of the best sports agents in the Philippines. Plenty of clutter to clean up but things are finally moving.
DELAY OF SALARY PAYMENTS.
Rumors of some teams not paying players and staff in a timely fashion have been whispered for years and Duremdes acknowledged hearing a few.
But for the MPBL to be able to appropriately address the issue requires a formal letter of complaint submitted to the Office of the Commissioner.
"We can't act on a Facebook post," the former PBA great said.
And while these late payments are not intentional - often a function of delayed receivables and sponsorship commitments - it's an inconvenience owners must avoid at all costs.
Teams which do not pay on time forfeit the moral authority to demand loyalty and professionalism from their players.
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