DON Allado’s troubles over a series of tweets alleging game-fixing in the pro league have prompted PBA coaches to consider imposing team rules on what players can say on the micro-blogging site.
Allado became the first PBA player to be sanctioned for a tweet deemed “detrimental to the league” and his experience has become a cautionary tale for other teams.
“Maybe this is a good opportunity for us to talk about it,” said Talk ‘N Text coach Chot Reyes, one of the most active and popular tweeters among league coaches with 25,350 followers.
TNT stars are also among the players who enjoy the most following on Twitter, with Jimmy Alapag having over 28,000 followers, Kelly Williams more than 15,000 and Jared Dillinger over 14,000.
Reyes said his team has only one rule when it comes to tweets: anything discussed within the confines of the team during games, practices and meetings are considered off-limits to tweets.
But the multi-titled coach said he is considering widening the scope of the rules in light of the Twitter controversy that earned Allado a P500,000 fine and a one-conference ban.
“My guys naman are responsible tweeters, pero hindi mo rin masabi,” said Reyes. “At maganda na rin ang nagiingat.”
Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao doesn’t have a Twitter account or even just a Facebook page, but he is fully aware of the pitfalls that players face in cyberspace.
“This is a new medium and some players are not fully aware of the consequences and the dangers,” said Guiao, whose guard, Gabe Norwood, has more than 21,000 Twitter followers.
“There has got to be internal rules sa mga teams when it comes to tweets and Facebook posts. That way, you can help protect both the player and the team,” Guiao added.
B-Meg star James Yap has the biggest following among PBA players with 40,775 followers, followed by Petron’s Dondon Hontiveros (37,254) and Alapag.
After Reyes, B-Meg’s Tim Cone has the most number of Twitter followers among league coaches with 22,880.
