Jericho Cruz. PBA IMAGES
A stiffer penalty could be handed to San Miguel Beer’s Jericho Cruz after he was ejected in Friday’s PBA On Tour game against TNT for hitting Paul Varilla with his knee.
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial plans to meet Cruz before the Beermen take on the Magnolia Hotshots on Sunday at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City, but a further review of the incident will be made before any judgment is made.
“We will check to see if there’s an additional contact aside from the hit,” Marcial said.
Kiss and make up
Cruz was ejected with four minutes left in the third quarter of the Beermen’s 111-74 win for kneeing Varilla, who was on the floor trying to protect the ball.
The San Miguel wingman, however, later explained that the hit was not intentional and that there were no hard feelings between him and Varilla, his former teammate at NLEX.
“It was really at the heat of the moment,” Cruz said in Filipino.
He became the first player in the exhibition series as severe altercations among players have been rare—and when scuffles break out, players simply kiss and make up.
San Miguel’s victory ended the team’s five consecutive defeats, a string of losses largely caused by the absence of key players.