PBA players who are regular fixtures in ‘ligang labas,’ beware.
The pro league cracked the whip on 10 players with fines totalling P590,000 on Wednesday for participating in unsanctioned tournaments last month, one of which ended up in an endgame skirmish that became viral.
Magnolia's Jio Jalalon, Beau Belga of Rain or Shine and JR Quinahan of NLEX bore the brunt of the fines meted by Commissioner Willie Marcial after meeting with most of the players caught playing in unsanctioned games.
READ: Ligang labas violators risk losing pro license
Jalalon was hit the hardest with a penalty amounting to P100,000 since he was a repeat offender, having been caught and punished for the same violation back in 2020. He was already suspended 15 days without pay by the team for the infraction.
A memorandum approved by the league following Jalalon's case pegged a fine of at least P50,000 to those be caught violating the league's policy on ligang labas.
Belga and Quinahan were hit with P70,000 penalties for playing in an exhibition game in Cebu without the approval of the league and their respective mother teams and for their roles in an endgame melee against a team of foreign players.
All three in Jalalon, Belga, and Quinahan were teammates in the same Cebu unsanctioned match playing for Northball.
Jalalon, Belga and Rain or Shine teammate Rey Nambatac had already been sanctioned by their respective mother teams for the infraction.
Nambatac was meted an additional P50,000 penalty by the PBA, as did Arwind Santos of NorthPort, and the Converge duo of Barkley Ebona and Alec Stockton.
A late addition to the list and similarly fined the same amount were Jhonard Clarito also of Rain or Shine and San Miguel's Vic Manuel and Allyn Bulanadi.
With the exception of Nambatac and Santos, all players mentioned were at the PBA office when the league handed down the sanction.
Commissioner Marcial however, already talked to Santos and Nambatac earlier.
The PBA chieftain warned all offenders of stiffer fines should they repeat the same action.
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