PBA fines Tab Baldwin 75,000 pesos including a three-game suspension

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

After three days of deliberation, the PBA board together with commissioner Willie Marcial decided to fine Gilas Pilipinas program director coach Tab Baldwin 75,000 pesos and a three-day suspension once the league kicks off.

Calling PBA’s single-import conference a “big mistake,” criticizing the pool of PH coaches as “tactically immature,” and saying imports in the PH are give an unfair advantage when it comes to officiating drove Marcial to penalize Baldwin’s statements as “detrimental to the league.”

For coach Baldwin, he said that he already cleared his side in their conference call last Monday together with commissioner Marcial and some PBA officials, explaining that his comments were taken out of context.

However, the PBA board including the Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines (BCAP) were all-in against Baldwin’s comments which they labeled as not only an attack on the PH basketball scene but also to every Filipino.

Members of the BCAP that slammed coach Baldwin were president Louie Gonzalez, Al Francis Chua, Yeng Guiao, Bonnie Tan, and Pido Jarencio.

Meanwhile, Al Panlilio, SBP’s president, refused to give out a statement and chose to stay away from the issue.