 |
| Meralco defended Cliff Hodge after Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao called him the "dirtiest player in the PBA." Peter Baltazar (file photo) |
MANILA—Meralco stood by Cliff Hodge a day after Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao called him the "dirtiest player in the PBA" moments following the team's victory.
In a statement on Monday, the Bolts said that they are taking offense at Guiao's statement, in which they thought he "unjustly maligned" Hodge in public.
"We take very strong exception to the unfair, unfounded, and unprofessional statement that the head coach of Rain or Shine, coach Yeng Guiao, uttered in public during his post-game interview against our player, Cliff Hodge, whom he unjustly maligned in public by calling him 'the dirtiest player in the PBA,'" Meralco said.
The team then insisted that the play in question, where Hodge was called for an unsportsmanlike foul when he hit Adrian Nocum's thigh in the third quarter of their Sunday night game, was just accidental.
"Cliff Hodge has been a Defensive Player of the Year awardee and named to the All-Defensive Team multiple times through the years because of the energy and passion that he has been known to play with, and this should not be taken against him. In the play involving Adrian Nocum, Cliff simply stepped in to try to draw a charge in a defensive stance position. The contact was incidental and should not be misconstrued as a dirty play," the Bolts' statement continued.
In conclusion, they said, "Coach Yeng's malicious imputations against Cliff are uncalled for and have no place in a professional league such as the PBA."
