PBA commissioner Chito Salud assured on Tuesday that Alaska rookie forward Calvin Abueva won’t be sanctioned for his accidental bumping of referee Eduard Aquino during the Aces’ 77-73 win against Barako Bull Sunday night.
Salud said a review of the game tape done by the Commissioner's office showed that there was no intention on the part of the sensational Alaska rookie to hurt Aquino in the play.
“I’ve reviewed the game tape and wala naman … it was just a freak contact, aksidente lang,” Salud told Spin.ph.
Salud said the league is fully supporting Aquino, who is currently confined in a hospital in Mandaluyong after being diagnosed with swollen spine tissues and a possible slipped disc suffered from the accident.
“May insurance (coverage) naman (ang mga referees natin). Though we also fully support our referee. Kasama din kasi iyan (accident) sa trabaho,” Salud added.
The incident happened with just a little over two minutes remaining in the tight contest when the 6-1 1/2 Abueva tried to chase down a loose ball and ended up crashing into Aquino, his momentum causing the referee to be pinned between him and the baseline railing of the Big Dome.
Aquino managed to get up and finish the match though he later complained of pains and was brought to the hospital.
The flamboyant Alaska freshman has already apologized to Aquino in an interview that was posted on the team’s website, saying he didn’t realize that the game official was hurt during that accident.
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