CHICAGO - For forty minutes, La Salle coach Topex Robinson faced the UAAP's Rules and Discipline Committee on Thursday to answer an ethics complaint that he spat on UP Maroons player Reyland Torres during the two schools' game last Sunday.
But despite an exhaustive probe, which was highlighted by an exhibit of videos and pictures, the committee determined that the myriad of visual evidence presented could not sustain the allegations.
This was the same conclusion the Technical Committee and the Board of Managing Directors (BMD) arrived at after conducting separate fact-finding missions.
"I am grateful to the UAAP board for giving me the opportunity to be heard," coach Robinson told me on Friday morning after receiving a "stern formal warning" via email from league commissioner Xavy Nunag.
The former PBA coach is eager to move past that dark episode which occurred late in the third quarter of the heated rivalry game which La Salle won, 68-56.
"Now I can focus on coaching the Green Archers and defend our title," he added.
CLEARED BUT STAINED.
With his name cleared, the hope is that the apologies will be just as loud as the accusations against coach Topex who was eviscerated on social media where he was largely presumed guilty until proven innocent,
In fairness, UP deserves no shade here. The coaching staff and the school never accused Robinson of the dirty deed.
What the university did was rally behind their player who insisted he was assaulted by an oral projectile.
The support the Maroons gave to Torres was tremendous and included providing him with legal counsel during the proceedings, multiple sources told SPIN.ph.
DISPARAGING COMMENTS.
Much has been speculated regarding what Torres muttered toward Robinson during their brief altercation during a timeout.
According to a source, this was what Torres allegedly said twice: "O, yan, nagkakagulo na naman kayo."
The comment, the LaSalle side believes, was a reference to the two teams' battle last June when the Maroons rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat the Green Archers, 69-66, and retain their FilOil championship.
In last Sunday's rematch, UP trimmed a 20-point deficit to 2, forcing a timeout where the spitting controversy took life.
While the book on this errant saliva mystery now appears to be closed, a lot of questions remain.
With three separate investigative bodies clearing Robinson of any wrongdoing, what the hell is the "formal stern warning" for?
If a guilty verdict cannot be adjudicated, isn't an acquittal the only other side of the coin?
Moving forward, what can the league do to protect coaches from serious accusations and personal attacks that turn out to be unsubstantiated?
To be fair to Torres, he was spat on. There was saliva on his shoulder. Now that we know it wasn't coach Topex then who was it?
The UAAP Season 87 is in peril.
There is a naughty, sneaky spitter on the loose.
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