NEVER has there been an instance when a particular varsity team of a UAAP member-school served a suspension, even as the university's other squads continued to compete in their respective events.
In the two times - Adamson in 1994 and La Salle in 2006 - that the league handed down a ban concerning a member-school, the entire sports program was forced to a standstill.
That's even if the offense only emanated from one particular varsity team. And yes, that meant other student-athletes, unfortunately, became collateral damage.
In both instances, too, however, investigation determined that the university was complicit to the offense, which was then deemed to merit a disciplinary action on the sports program, in its entirety.
Of course, times have changed and interpretations may now differ.
As of today, the UAAP has yet to make a decision on Ateneo, although public pressure continues to mount following the fatal team-building activity which cost the lives of Blue Eagles Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili.
Leave of absence?
Even before the league can make its move, the possibility of Ateneo filing a leave of absence - for men's basketball, at the very least - has been floated around.
But the question is can they actually do that?
All eight member-schools are required to play in the so-called mandatory sports of basketball and volleyball - needing men's and women's teams for each of those events.
And, indeed, all universities participated in said mandatory sports, as well as athletics, since Season 88.
Only University of Santo Tomas, La Salle, the University of the Philippines, and Ateneo, meantime, have sent delegations across all sports in recent history.
Some member-schools have filed leave of absences in other events in the past, but that has never happened in basketball nor volleyball.
Victims of circumstance?
If the past is a precedent, all Blue Eagles are facing the prospect of having their wings clipped for all of the upcoming season scheduled to open on September 12.
That's why one league insider noted that unfortunately, it's the student-athletes themselves who stand to bear the brunt of the potential punishment - not only losing teammates, schoolmates, classmates, and good friends in Baterbonia and Adili, but also losing a playing year in their short collegiate careers.
"It will be double blackeye for the players. They have to deal with the suffering and deal with these circumstances," the source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said.
Take the Ateneo men's swimming team, for instance, who would see the end of its 10-season dominance just like that.
Ateneo's women's badminton team, champions in four of the last five tournaments, together with the also-titlist men's side would have to see themselves get dethroned without even taking up their rackets.
For the league insider, it's understandable to penalize coaches who must take command responsibility for the tragedy, but student-athletes should be spared from the impending ax of suspension, especially if they, too, were victims of what happened.
"Especially if they want to play. These players are competitors and they've also said they wanted to honor their fallen teammates, their fallen classmates," the source furthered.
"But again, that should be their call if they want to play."
READ: Ateneo players wish to dedicate UAAP Season 89 to Bobet, Divine
As UAAP history has taught us, however, fortunately or unfortunately, when men's basketball coughs, the whole sports program gets sick.
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