CHICAGO - By most accounts, including from two local newspapers, Mac Tallo dazzled at the 2024 Sinulog Cup which concluded last week in Cebu.
He won a chip with the Z'Nas Jewelers-Marawi City. And after dropping 21 points, seven assists and four rebounds in the title game, he was also named Finals MVP.
Unfortunately, while he was collecting hardware and accolades, the 6-foot, 187-pound point guard was also actively committing contractual infidelity.
READ After Tallo, it's Chris Lalata who faces 'ligang labas' accusations
The Sinulog Festival is a huge religious celebration in Cebu honoring the Holy Child Jesus known among Cebuanos as Senyor Santo Nino.
Playing in the Sinulog Cup gave Tallo the opportunity to manifest his reverence while showing his fellow Cebuanos a peek of the hometown hero that had made them proud in the grandest stages of basketball.
The intent was well-meaning but the implementation was poorly-conceived.
Unfortunately for Tallo and his camp, requisite protocols are in place for these wandering adventures such as the Cebu romp to obtain the blessings of both the PBA and a player's mother team.
HEADED FOR DIVORCE.
Per Converge team manager Jacob Lao, Mac did not ask for permission for his foray in Cebu. And because of that breach, the FiberXers have moved to terminate their contractual marriage with the former Southwestern University (SWU) star.
It's an act of self-preservation on the part of Converge, which decided to go hard on Tallo in a way that would set a precedent for other players to take contractual obligations as stipulated in the Uniform Players Contract (UPC) seriously.
There's a teachable moment here. Diplomacy makes the world a safer place, but common courtesy keeps relationships civil and conflict-free.
Aggravating Converge further was the fact that Tallo was supposedly still in rehab and shouldn't have played even in a harmless exhibition or charity game, let alone a full scrap in an invitational pocket tournament with lots of cash at stake for the participating teams.
It didn't help that he wasn't completely forthright when confronted about it by team officials, sources told. Tallo allegedly admitted to playing only in "one game."
But a Converge internal investigation revealed that he played in "five games."
I reached out to Mac's agent, JR Guevarra, for comment. Repeated attempts to reach him were unsuccessful.
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS.
With his big name a pedigree (his father and namesake also played in the PBA), Mac was likely paid a market value of P20,000 to P30,000 per game for his services for his "ligang labas" escapade, two veteran Cebu-based sport reporters told SPIN.ph.
But with the fiasco unraveling he stands to lose more.
Commissioner Willie Marcial has since summoned Tallo to his office to air his side. If the PBA decides to terminate his contract with Converge, Mac will forfeit the two-year, P300,000 a month payday he signed late last year.
WATCH:
A prominent sports agent whom I interviewed for this piece said that once a severance of ties is consummated between the two parties, Tallo will become a free agent. He also claimed that Tallo is eligible to play as an Asian import in Taiwan, Korea and Japan leagues.
With his talent, and with a lot of hooping left in him at age 30, Mac Tallo will find a new home. It's just sad that it won't likely be in the PBA.
The league that once shunned and took him back could close the door for good.
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