Yeng Guiao. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao was slapped with a P100,000 fine by the PBA Commissioner’s Office for calling Meralco forward Cliff Hodge a “mongoloid” last Wednesday.
PBA Commissioner Chito Salud ruled Guiao’s actions towards Hodge as “unbecoming and “unacceptable” after a review of the incident.
“First, accosting and insulting a player with total disregard for civility and circumspection; second, using the word “mongoloid,” a derogatory term alluding to people with Down’s syndrome. Its use shows a lack of sensitivity to persons with disabilities and is particularly hurtful to the class of people suffering from the disorder, their families and friends,” said Salud in a statement.
Salud met with both Guiao and Hodge in his office at Libis, Quezon City on Friday.
A hard foul, which Guiao thought was a punch, by Hodge on Rain or Shine center Raymond Almazan towards the end of game two of their quarterfinals series angered the coach.
The name-calling incident occurred in the tunnel on the way to the dugout at the Smart Araneta Coliseum where a fuming Guiao waited for Hodge.
It was the second time this year that Guiao received a hefty fine. Only last February, he also coughed up P100,000 and served out a one-game ban for persistent misconduct.
Salud reminded the players, coaches and officials to be aware that “the use of words with pejorative tones has no place in a league that regards itself as an institution our youth can look up to as an example.”
Meanwhile, Hodge has to pay P20,000 for his foul on Almazan, which was upgraded to a Flagrant Foul Penalty 2 for “being excessive and unnecessary.”
“The review shows that Hodge during a rebound play hit the face of Almazan with a closed fist,” Salud also said.
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