THE comments section of our social media pages were filled with stories linking the clearance given by the PBA Commissioner's Office to Converge recruit Mac Tallo with the release of former FiberXers import Quincy Miller to TNT.
The suspicion arose as soon as word came out that Tallo, whose PBA comeback was stalled by a flunked drug test from 2018 during his time with NLEX, had been given the green light by the PBA to be part of the Converge lineup for the season.
READ: Mac Tallo activated by Converge after getting PBA green light
Just three days earlier, Converge curiously released its former import Miller to TNT without anything in return, allowing the Tropang Giga to fill the import spot after balik-import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was sidelined by a health issue.
The timing and the circumstances surrounding the twin deals understandably aroused the suspicion of fans who never pulled their punches on social media.
But is any of these true?
Contacted for comment, PBA commissioner Willie Marcial initially declined to dignify the accusations, saying anything he said about the issue will likely be construed as being defensive.
But pressed to lay the issue to rest, Marcial said the two issues were never connected and he had nothing to do with TNT securing Miller's release from Converge after Hollis-Jefferson became unavailable.
Marcial lays issue to rest
Marcial said he also decided to revisit Tallo's case long before Miller secured his clearance from Converge, saying he did due diligence on Tallo and consulted some people after getting the Cebuano guard's letter of appeal late last month.
Marcial and deputy commissioner Eric Castro also met with Tallo last Friday, a day before Miller was granted his release by Converge.
So there.
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