Chot Reyes denies giving Gilas players intructions to hurt Aussie rivals

“In my 20 years as Head Coach in the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) and 7 years at the helm of Gilas, I have never been involved in any such incident,” he said (File photo) (Photo By Leo Hidalgo – Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

While he respects the ruling of Fédération Internationale de Basket-ball (FIBA) on the full-blown fracas that sparked between Gilas Pilipinas and Australia Boomers during its World Cup Qualifiers, the head coach of the Philippine team stood firm on his stand that he never ordered any of his players to hurt their opponents.

The FIBA Disciplinary Panel on Thursday, July 19, handed down its decision which slapped Reyes with a one-game suspension and a disciplinary fine of 10,000 Swiss francs.

[READ: It’s out: FIBA suspends 10 Gilas players, 2 coaches for PH-Australia brawl]

Reacting to the sanctions meted upon him, Reyes said he stands with the country’s basketball governing body, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), in “respecting FIBA’s findings,” but he insisted that he did not give “instructions to hurt nor incite unsportsmanlike behavior.”

The head coach earlier was in hot waters after he was caught in a video telling Gilas players to “hit somebody, put someone on his ass.” However, Reyes, in his previous interview with ESPN, said that people might have taken his words out of context, stressing that what he said was only part of coaching term.

“In my 20 years as Head Coach in the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) and 7 years at the helm of Gilas, I have never been involved in any such incident,” he said.

Nevertheless, Reyes again expressed regret and apologies for the melee that happened last July 2 at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

“As we work to put all this behind us, we reiterate our commitment to serve our flag. Laban. Pilipinas. Puso!” the 54-year-old coach said.

Aside from Reyes, 10 Gilas players — Japeth Aguilar, Matthew Wright, Terence Romeo, Jayson Castro, Andray Blatche, Jeth Rosario, Roger Pogoy, Carl Cruz, Jio Jalalon, and Calvin Abueva — were also suspended by FIBA along with the Gilas assistant coach Joseph Uichico.

The SBP will also pay a disciplinary fine of 250,000 Swiss francs for “the unsportsmanlike behavior of its delegation members and of its public, as well as for insufficient organization of the game.”

For its part, the SBP said they are in the process of reviewing FIBA’s decision and will later on decide if an appeal will be made.