MANILA – Two Negrenses were among those penalized by the NCAA Management Committee (ManCom) in the aftermath of Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers forward John Amores’ amok incident.
Chris Jay Flores of the College of St. Benilde Blazers and Jason Celis of the Heavy Bombers were each slapped with suspensions for their role in the said incident during the two school’s NCAA Season 98 men’s basketball game on Tuesday.
Flores, a native of Bago City, Negros Occidental, was hit with a two-game suspension for the Blazers after he was caught on the video engaging Amores in a fistfight.
Flores was also said to have started the fire on Amores after the former tripped the latter to the ground with three minutes left in their game where the Blazers were ahead, 71-51.
Celiz of Bacolod City, meanwhile, was slapped with a one-game suspension for entering the court during the incident despite not among the five Heavy Bombers playing at that time.
Amores was hit the hardest after being penalized with indefinite ban by the NCAA ManCom for charging at referees, some JRU officials and punching four Blazers players.
Blazers’ Sangco was suspended for two games for engaging in a fistfight and for also landing a punch on Amores, while his teammate Ladis Lepalam is suspended for a game for entering the court.
Heavy Bombers’ William Sy and Ryan Arenal were also suspended for two games for committing disrespectful acts before ManCom representatives, who were trying to de-escalate the situation.
Sy also got an additional one-game ban for entering the playing court together with JRU’s Jason Tan, Joshua Guiab, Marwin Dionisio, Marc Abaoag, Jonathan Medina, Karl De Jesus, and Christian Gonzales.
“Violence has no place in the NCAA. The ManCom condemns and will not tolerate any acts of violence that will endanger our athletes, participants, officials, supporters, and the public. The safety of everyone is our primordial concern,” the NCAA ManCom said in a statement./PN
