MPBL slaps 3-month suspension on Yong Garcia

No Coach Yong at the San Juan bench for the next three months.

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—The MPBL assured that it is not taking San Juan assistant coach Yong Garcia's gesture on Valenzuela player Lord Casajeros lightly by slapping the tactician with a lengthy suspension.

The league announced on Wednesday that Garcia cannot join the Knights' coaching staff for the next three months for spitting on the Classic's Casajeros during their Monday night game at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

San Juan has already slapped Garcia with a one-month ban without salary for the said act.

However, the MPBL handed a stiffer penalty on Garcia and essentially extended his suspension until the end of August.

The league then confirmed that Garcia has to pay PHP60,000 too as fine, which according to Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes will be donated to a charitable institution that is helping in the fight against COVID-19.

"The MPBL hereby metes a three-month suspension and a PHP60,000 fine on Garcia for tarnishing the image of the league and possibly endangering the health of the aggrieved party," the MPBL said in a statement.

Garcia has been advised too to undergo RT-PCR as soon as possible and will have to take another one three days before his scheduled return.

"If Garcia doesn't submit himself to the said tests and an unpleasant development arises, the MPBL will impose further sanctions," the league further said.

The league also advised Garcia to undergo counseling "to get a better hold of himself."

Duremdes said that stricter punishments are in place for similar spitting incidents later in the season.

"The MPBL condemns any and all unsportsmanlike conduct, especially deliberate acts of violence. There's no place for such act in this league, and a similar offense would be dealt with even more severely," the commissioner vowed.

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