THE PBA is in the process of gathering first-hand accounts on the hallway spat between Calvin Abueva and Mo Tautuaa and their respective wives that marred Game Two of the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals between San Miguel and Magnolia.
READ Gallent says Abueva mocked him about his physical disability
Commissioner Willie Marcial said the league will be talking to witnesses who were there when the altercation took place at the hallway of the Mall of Asia Arena moments after SMB's 109-85 win over the Hotshots on Sunday night.
While several videos were already posted on social media just minutes following the incident, Marcial said the league wants to talk directly to the persons who personally witnessed the spat to get to the bottom of the controversy.
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"Gather muna kami ng mga additional evidence and mga taong nandun para malaman talaga kung ano yung tunay na nangyari," said Marcial Monday.
He also plans to personally talk to both Abueva and Tautuaa to know what really sparked the confrontation that came just minutes after San Miguel grabbed a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven finals after a 109-84 rout of Magnolia.
Based on the exchanges of accusations by both camps, it appeared a smirk made by Abueva on the wife of Tautuaa as she passed by the Magnolia player was the root cause of everything.
Abueva denied ever doing it.
One thing led to the other that soon enough, Abueva’s wife joined the fray as the couple was seen trying to confront the Tautuaas.
At one point in the exchange, Abueva was heard challenging Tautuaa to a fistfight as security and personnel of both teams – including Magnolia deputy Tony Boy Espinosa, San Miguel consultant Leo Austria, and San Miguel governor Robert Non – tried to pacify the warring parties.
Marcial would rather not speculate on whether fines or worse, suspensions would be meted on either camps as his office still has to get the real story behind the heated confrontation.
“Kahit within the venue or outside the venue ang mga ganyang nangyari, kailangan pa-imbestigahan natin yan,” he said.
The commissioner will also consult with his technical committee once the facts and information have been made available.
Abueva and Tautuaa got into a physical encounter during the game early in the fourth period where the Magnolia veteran was whistled for an unsportsmanlike foul.
At the same time, Marcial will also talk to Abueva about his alleged taunting of San Miguel coach Jorge Gallent over his physical disability.
Both Abueva and Gallent were called for technical fouls following a verbal altercation when the forward out of San Sebastian was about to be substituted by Rome Dela Rosa.
Gallent later told Spin.ph that Abueva mocked him about his one blind eye which momentarily made him lose his cool.
The San Miguel coach shrugged off the incident after the game.
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