JRU coach Louie Gonzalez.
Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Jose Rizal University coach Louie Gonzalez revealed that he’s still in constant contact with to the beleaguered John Amores after the former Heavy Bomber was expelled from the team.
But Gonzalez acknowledged the mistakes of his player and said he does not condone what Amores had done– running amok and throwing punches against several College of St. Benilde players.
“John is like my son. I talk to him almost every day. I will not leave that guy alone. He’s like a son to me. Even his kid is like my grandkid. I’m happy that he’s doing fine. Hopefully, he’ll be back,” Gonzalez said after JRU’s final win this season.
“What happened was wrong. It was unfortunate. The right word is unfortunate, but John is a good kid. The focus right now is to make him feel that we’re here to support him but again, we spoke to him and told him, you did something wrong.”
WATCH: After defeating defending champion Letran, Jose Rizal University coach Louie Gonzalez bares his guidance for John Amores after the Heavy Bombers-Blazers game two weeks ago. | @MeloFuertesINQ pic.twitter.com/Of9KnTvrL5
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Currently, the 23-year-old athlete is facing several charges, one filed by University of the Philippines’ Mark Belmonte and another one by CSB’s Taine Davis and Jimboy Pasturan, both as a result of his violent actions.
Amores has personally visited the Blazers in one of their practices to apologize and make amends.
After all the developments after the scuffle, Gonzales believes his player can learn from the mishap and can be better.
“Not everyone is perfect but we know he will learn from this. With John, we don’t really talk about him as the player anymore. We talk about him as a person, a dad, a partner.”
The veteran coach also revealed that there are currently no plans for him to return to the team even if the league’s indefinite ban is lifted soon, saying the team does not want to “rush him.”