JARED Dillinger chose to keep to himself the logic behind his decision to leave Meralco and sign up with Barangay Ginebra as an unrestricted free agent.
The 35-year-old Fil-Am would rather let the issue simmer down a bit before finally telling his piece.
“For now I’m just going to lay low,” he said in a short message to SPIN.ph on Saturday.
Dillinger added he’ll going to air his side once he formally joins the Kings in practice.
“I’ll make a statement on Monday when I go to Ginebra’s practice,” he said.
In a surprising twist of event, Dillinger signed up with Barangay Ginebra on Friday after being put in the unrestricted free agent list by Meralco due to his recurring quad injury.
The Bolts cried foul though, as the franchise claimed it had a gentleman’s agreement with Dillinger that he won’t sign up with any of the 11 teams upon being relegated as an unrestricted free agent.
But to the team’s surprise, Dillinger agreed to come to terms with the Kings when Ginebra picked him up from the free agent list.
“He was not man enough to honor his own words,” an obviously disappointed Meralco team governor Al Panlilio said just moments before the Bolts’ PBA Commissioner’s Cup game against Rain or Shine also on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Coach Norman Black said he understands it was Dillinger’s prerogative to entertain offers from other teams as a free agent.
“It’s just from our point of view and the fact that we had talk to him, and he did not talk to us before he actually signed with Ginebra, that’s where the disappointment comes from,” said Black.
“But like I said, it’s his choice. We just move on.”
Nonetheless, Black is still grateful for the six years Dillinger played for the Bolts.
“I want to thank him for his services with Meralco and I wish him the best of luck,” said the champion coach.
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