The UAAP suspended University of the East women's volleyball head coach Jerry Yee for the the remainder of the season, which is about three months long, saying he "engaged in acts inconsistent with league objectives." He was also barred from entering venues where the Lady Warriors will play.
The UAAP decision is expected to rumble through the current women's volleyball tournament where public interest is very high. It also will likely send shockwaves to the UAAP coaching community where many schools are on the lookout for reliable and visionary coaches.
Yee and the UE administration are not taking the suspension lightly. An appeal is planned for Monday in which Yee will say that he was not given due process and may claim that the suspension was arbitrary.
The UAAP said it investigated Yee following a complaint from a member school who said the UE coach violated the purposes of the association which is to "foster camaraderie and fair play."
Although the UAAP decision did not name the school that filed the complaint, it was open secret in the UAAP that it was Adamson University, of which Yee was the former coach and with whom he parted ways last year.
The UAAP said the decision was arrived at after a lengthy deliberation by the UAAP Board of Managing Directors and its reccommendation submitted to the Board of Trustees which then concurred with the BMD's findings.
The decision was handed Feb. 29 and was efffective immediately. Yee, however, will be allowed to continue training the Lady Warriors and may also coach the team outside of UAAP tournaments. UE will also retain its record currently at 1-2.
The BMD said it acted upon the complaint of a member school saying Yee committed "acts inconsistent with the league's objectives.."
It said: "The UAAP as an organization of educarional institutions, prioritizes maintaining a close-knit relationship among its eight member schools through healthy competitions and demands the highest ethical and professional standards from those expected to mold the student athletes."
Speaking to reporters, Yee said he'd heard that the board was deliberating on a complaint against him filed by Adamson, but still the decision caught him by surprise.
"Well, I think it's uncalled for," he said Sunday. "Parang walang due process. I mean, hinde naman ako nakunan ng side ko about this. Nagulat ako, eh. Kumbaga me ganito pa pala -- gulat and surprised."
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Pending further appeal, Yee will be barred entry from game venues and is effectively out for the rest of the season.
"Well, I think it’s uncalled for and parang walang due process. I mean, hindi naman ako nakunan ng side about this. Nagulat din ako eh. Kumbaga may ganito pa pala. Gulat and surprised," said Yee.
'No ethical breach'
The now-suspended UE mentor stood firm against what he deemed to be a ’suprising’ sanction following a complaint lodged by an unnamed UAAP member school.
“For the record, the decision to part ways with Adamson was a mutual one. We agreed that the partnership had run its course, and I felt like the time was right for me to take a new step in my career and face a new challenge.”
Yee added: “I maintain that there was no ethical breach in my decision to accept UE’s head coaching job, because it was a mutual parting of ways for both Adamson and I.
"It is unfortunate that this career decision of mine has been met with vitriol at the late-onset, borne out of vindictiveness ironically from an institution that prides itself in instilling Catholic virtues and teaching.”
Yee and UE are expected to file an appeal on the decision by Monday upon receiving the league ruling on Friday afternoon.
In Yee's indefinite absence, deputy coach Obet Vital will call the shots for the Lady Warriors, whose ongoing UAAP campaign remains unaffected by the sanctions imposed on its head coach.
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