Following a painful loss in the finals, the Rain or Shine team is now facing the possibility of getting at least a P2 million fine after its coach Yeng Guiao instigated a walkout in the first half of Game 6 against San Mig Super Coffee Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Elasto Painters eventually returned to the playing court after a 10-minute stoppage, but a heavy price appears inevitable.
Under PBA rules, damage has been done when Guiao ordered his team to leave the playing court and back to their dugout at the 11:39 mark of the second quarter and with the Mixers up, 30-17.
PBA commissioner Chito Salud has rescheduled his meeting today (instead of yesterday) with Rain or Shine team representative Atty. Mert Mondragon.
Salud said that he would apply whatever is necessary to determine what penalty Rain or Shine and Guiao would get for the ‘walkout.’
“The rules on walkouts, partial or otherwise, are clear and we will enforce them accordingly,” said Salud in a statement yesterday.
“Still, I don’t want one thing to be lost in all these – my respect and admiration for the players of both teams who gave it all for the game and the fans. I commend them. They are a credit to the sport and they did the PBA proud,” he added.
Under PBA rules and bylaws, there are classifications of a walkout, including a ‘partial’ or if the team returns to the playing court but still faces a R2 million fine, while a ‘full’ walkout or the team did not return after the 15-minute grace period is over, will be penalized P10 million.
After Salud asked the official timekeeper to start the 15-minute grace period, the Painters returned to the floor after three minutes.
Raymond Yu, who co-owns Rain or Shine with Terry Que, said they were surprised with the team’s walkout. Seated a few rows behind the Painters’ bench, Yu went to the team’s locker room where he spoke outside the dugout with Salud and PBA media bureau chief Willie Marcial.
“Spontaneous yun, in reaction to the inconsistencies to the PBA referees,” said Yu when contacted by Tempo.
“Pero hindi ko din alam na magwo-walkout, kaya nga sumunod ako after nung pumasok sila to see the team. But by the time I got to the dugout, napag-usapan na nila Atty. Mondragon and coach Yeng to return to the playing court,” added Yu.
In the history of the PBA, there were two ‘full’ walkouts and one ‘partial’ which happened when Guiao, then the mentor of Red Bull, ordered his team to walkout but returned to the floor in Game 4 of a best-of-seven semifinal against San Miguel Beer of the Philippine Cup.
The team was assessed a total of R500,000 fine, including P100,000 on Guiao.
In 1990, Añejo (now Barangay Ginebra) was the first to walkout of the game after then coach Robert Jaworski instigated it during the second period and did not return in Game 6 of the First Conference Finals that led to Shell winning the title via forfeiture. Anejo was penalized P550,000.
Four years ago, Talk ’N Text’s head coach Chot Reyes ordered the team to leave the bench against Ginebra in the second period of Game 4 of their five-game quarterfinal series in the Philippine Cup. The Tropang Texters, who lost the series in five games, were fined a total of P1 million.