A LETTER sent by Mike Phillips' camp to the San Juan Knights organization confirmed his decision to terminate the contract he signed with the MPBL ballclub less than three months ago.
The letter, a copy of which was shown to SPIN.ph, automatically triggered the opt-opt clause mutually agreed upon by both camps under Clause 2 (mutual termination without cause) and Clause 3 (player release) contained in the Supplemental Contract that he signed with the Knights last April 14.
READ San Juan fumes as Mike Phillips leaving Knights 'for Japan B.League'
Except for one paragraph thanking the organization for his brief spell with the team and wishing the Knights well, the short letter was all business.
"I would like to sincerely thank the organization, management, coaching staff, teammates and supporters for the opportunity to be part of the San Juan Knights," Phillips' letter read. "I am grateful for my time with the club and wish the organization continued success moving forward."
San Juan management confirmed Phillips' decision to exercise the opt-out clause but rued the manner in which it was delivered to the team.
"“Sadly, he left us. What’s unfair is he didn't even have the balls to talk to us. It was only his brother Ben who informed us of his sudden departure," said San Juan team manager Jun Usman, a close ally of team owner Senator Jinggoy Estrada.
Usman also claimed Phillips never got in touch with the organization since coming back from his maiden stint with Gilas Pilipinas in a FIBA tournament in the away World Cup Asian qualifiers against Australia and New Zealand.
"Wala, hindi na siya sumasagot sa amin. Ilang tawag at text na ang ginagawa namin, until recently, yung kapatid pa n'ya na si Ben ang nagsabi sa amin na they are terminating their contract [under the opt-out clause]," Usman said.
Sources said 'Motor Mike' is set to sign with the Division I team in the Japan B.League, where he is eligible to do after the Gilas stint.
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