Still no timeline on lifting of Abueva suspension

Calvin Abueva’s return to PBA action remains uncertain, the Inquirer learned on Monday afternoon.

“We still have to talk,” Commissioner Willie Marcial said on Monday ahead of the PBA planning session in Italy, where the league’s governors will huddle on Jan. 30.

“I have yet to update the board about him and his efforts,” Marcial said of Abueva, who has been indefinitely suspended since June 4.

The PBA threw the full weight of the league’s rule book at Abueva for several controversies on and off the court, among them an unnecessary hit against TNT import Terrence Jones,and an obscene gesture toward a fan.

Marcial, though, admitted to keeping tabs of Abueva’s efforts on reformation.

The mercurial forward has figured in multiple outreach programs and basketball clinics during his time away from the games.

Recently, he opened a restaurant and cooked meals for displaced Taal residents which he himself delivered.

But when asked about a timeline, Marcial said “I don’t have one,” as the situation needs to be thoroughly “assessed.”

Plans for the league, meanwhile, aren’t as vague, with the league eyeing to build on the gains it has made in the previous season.

“We’re going heavy on digital,” said Marcial. INQ