PBA Officer-In-Charge Willie Marcial will summon both NLEX coach Yeng Guiao and San Miguel guard Chris Ross this week to shed light on allegations of a racial slur during their heated exchange in Friday’s game at the Cuneta Astrodome.
Marcial said he hopes to get to the bottom of the incident where the San Miguel camp claimed that Guiao used the “N-word” at Ross while they were having words with 1:43 left in the fourth quarter of the Beermen’s 109-98 win over the Road Warriors.
“Kakausapin ko muna silang pareho para malaman natin kung ano talaga (nangyari),” said Marcial, who probably faces the first acid test more than halfway into his 30-day term as PBA caretaker following Chito Narvasa’s resignation as commissioner.
It will be interesting to see if Marcial gets to hand down a stiff punishment on Guiao if such allegations are proven, though the sanctions could likely come from videos showing the fiery mentor flashing a dirty finger at Ross.
Guiao also apparently called the San Miguel guard a “son of a b****” multiple times before flipping the bird when cooler heads prevailed. Both received a technical foul each, with Ross getting tossed for his second.
San Miguel coach Leo Austria later said that Ross complained of Guiao’s use of the “N-word,” a derogatory term against black people. Ross left the Astrodome without granting interviews but posted an Instagram story containing the words, “Racism is never justifiable.”
Matt Ganuelas-Rosser backed his teammate with a lengthy social media post, saying: “To be criticized for our skin color is demeaning, demoralizing and should not be tolerated. This deep rooted pain is not something to easily emphatize with, and that is why the use of racists words toward the black community need to end.”
Guiao immediately denied using the slur but admitted doing the obscene hand gesture.
“Daldal siya ng daldal e. Sa akin naman kapag ganun, siguro respeto na lang. Lumayo ka na lang tutal mananalo naman na kayo,” Guiao said. “I didn’t understand what he was saying, what he was talking about. Nakikipagtrash-talking din ako sa kanya pero wala yun.
“The game was a foregone conclusion at that time, siguro magrespetuhan na lang kapag ganun. Mananalo naman na kayo so manahimik ka na lang,” he added.
It wasn’t the first time that Guiao had been involving in similar incidents. He was fined R100,000 by then-PBA Commissioner Chito Salud for calling Meralco’s Cliff Hodge a “mongoloid” after a PBA Commissioner’s Cup playoff game in 2014.