Calvin Abueva few more steps away from getting ban lifted—PBA chief

FILE – Calvin Abueva. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—A faint glimmer of light has shone upon the status of Calvin Abueva’s indefinite suspension.

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial said the beleaguered forward has to undergo “two more stages” before he can finally get reinstated into the league.

Marcial, however, did not go into the specifics of the remaining conditions but he admitted that he been impressed with Abueva’s progress into his path back to the PBA.

“He is done with the first stage and the second stage, which is cut into two halves, will begin this week,” said Marcial in Filipino during the PBA Media Day Thursday at Okada Manila.

“Once he’s done with the stages then I’ll give my recommendation to the [PBA Board of] governors. I’ll advise them.”

Marcial also clarified that Abueva is aware of the requirements from the beginning.

“He knows this since the start that he has to do this before he can get back. Calvin and I had an agreement that I won’t publicly say what he’ll do and it’s up to him if he wants to come out publicly with what we want him to do.”

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Abueva has been suspended since June 2019 for getting into a verbal altercation with Bobby Ray Parks Jr.’s girlfriend and a physical confrontation with then TNT import Terrence Jones. In September, he was to join Phoenix but only for practices.

In an Inquirer report, it was said that Abueva has to undergo mandatory personality tests to make sure he won’t go back to his old ways.

“I’m okay with what he did in the first stage and you all see that he’s been doing outreach activities, CSRs [corporate social responsibilities] and I’m okay with that but he still has to complete the stages that we need him to do,” said Marcial.

The PBA chief said that he told Abueva that he will be keeping the requirements private as a way of protecting the former national player from public judgment.

“I told him that ‘I will protect you, but if you want to make it public then it’s up to you,” said Marcial. “Calvin is not just a player, I treat him as a friend because he’s really close to me.”