Talk ‘N Text fined over P1M for walkout vs Ginebra

Still reeling from their failure to retain their PBA Philippine Cup title, the Talk `N Text Tropang Texters just became the recipient of the highest-ever penalty in the league’s 35-year history. For walking out of the playing court and eventually forfeiting Game 4 of their quarterfinals series with Barangay Ginebra Kings last Friday, the Tropang Texters were fined for over P1 million by the PBA commissioner’s office Tuesday.

Commissioner Sonny Barrios penalized the telecommunication franchise P500,000 for the forfeiture, the said amount going to Barangay Ginebra as underlined in section 32 of the PBA Constitution and By-Laws. Barrios also imposed an additional P500,000 fine, which, he said, will go directly to the Players’ Educational Trust Fund that will benefit the league players and their dependents. Likewise, the Tropang Texters’ share in the gate receipts and TV revenues for that particular game has also been forfeited in favor of the nine other PBA teams. The amount ranges anywhere between P200,000 to P250,000. The total fine was the highest ever levied against a team that walked out of a PBA game. Ironically, Ginebra itself got slapped with a P500,000 penalty back in 1990 after the Robert Jaworski-led Añejo Rum left the court due to what the team felt was spotty officiating and never returned in Game 6 of its First Conference Finals with Shell. The Turbo Chargers were awarded the victory and the title. Red Bull, now Barako Bull, also shelled out P507,000 in 2006 for walking out of its Philippine Cup semifinal series with San Miguel. Unlike the Texters and the Añejo cagers, though, the Red Bull players returned to the court to resume action upon orders from their team manager, the late Tony Chua. Barrios stressed that the PBA and its teams serve different publics, foremost of which are the paying fans, who happen to be “the lifeblood of the league and whose interest the league has sworn to protect and hold as primordial." “There are established rules and procedures to properly ventilate a team’s disagreement with officiating so that the fans do not become innocent and unwilling victims of a team’s protest over calls," said the commissioner. A flagrant foul penalty 2 called on Ranidel de Ocampo sparked Talk N’ Text walkout with still 60 seconds left in the opening period and Ginebra ahead, 27-20. The forfeiture allowed the Kings to level the series at 2-2. Barangay Ginebra eventually eliminated TNT by beating the Tropang Texters, 113-100, in the deciding Game 5 last Sunday to advance into the semifinals of the All-Filipino conference opposite top seed Alaska. The Kings became only the third team to rally back from a 0-2 hole to win a best-of-five series. - GMANews.TV