Tenorio surprised by Romeo’s hit that led to scuffle: ‘He’s not a dirty player’

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net

LA Tenorio knew that his defense irritated Terrence Romeo, but he didn’t expect to be on the receiving end of a flailing right arm from the young gun which escalated into a scuffle late in Ginebra’s 96-85 victory over GlobalPort.

“Of all the people who would do that to me, it had to be Terrence,” said the veteran guard on Tuesday, obviously with a hint of disappointment over Romeo’s actions.

Emotions ran high in the 3:28 mark of the fourth quarter with the Gin Kings ahead, 89-73. As the two were jostling for position on a rebound play, Romeo spun and hit Tenorio on his side with a closed fist which floored the veteran playmaker.

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“It really was hard. I showed the hit to the whole team. I was really surprised that he did that,” he said of the incident.

Tenorio, who was tasked to shadow the Batang Pier’s explosive guards in the quarterfinal duel, said that he didn’t have any intention of hurting Romeo as he was defending him.

“You can watch the tape. I think it’s a natural tendency of a player to really get frustrated, especially when things are not going well for the team or for them as a player. But the whole game, I was playing honest defense. I was even talking to him during the game,” he said.

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“He was saying that I kept on complaining. The whole time, I was relaxed and just doing my job on defense. I knew what I had to do. I wasn’t playing that well offensively, but I think defensively, I did my part on him and (Stanley) Pringle. I had no intention to hurt him, and if I did, it wasn’t intentional. I’m not a dirty player in the first place. I’m not gonna fight anyone. I have so much respect for him as a player and we’ve been teammates in the national team. But I think he didn’t have to do that if he was frustrated. That’s part of the game.”

Tenorio understood where Romeo was coming from, admitting that if it were him on the former FEU guard’s shoes, he may have felt the same frustration. But knowing Romeo’s stature, the former Commissioner’s Cup Best Player of the Conference said that the flashy playmaker should have known better.

“Bottomline is if were in his place, I think I would be frustrated also, but I’m not going to retaliate like that. I still have respect for him as a player. He’s a basketball idol. He’s a great player, a very talented player…that’s why I defend him like that,” he said. “A lot of kids, a lot of people are watching him. He’s one of the faces of the PBA, so he should be careful of those dirty plays because he’s not a dirty player. That’s what shocked us the most.”

Romeo refused to air his side of the story as he quickly left Smart Araneta Coliseum after the game.