IT was Mindoro Tamaraws’ cager Jonas Tibayan, who first made the aggressive moves to hurt GenSan Warriors’ Michole Sorela during their Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) game on Monday.
Sorela said this in a message sent to a friend, just hours before the GenSan cager was penalized with a lifetime ban and a P200,000 fine by the league for punching and injuring Tibayan.
“Bago nangyari ‘yun, nakatatlong suntok sa aken. Sinabihan ko na intentional na ‘yang ginagawa mo, p’re. Tapos, humirit pa talaga ng isa. Ako naglalaro lang ako maayos. Nananahimik ako,” said Sorela in his message.
The incident sent the 6’3” Tibayan to the hospital, with a concussion, broken jaw, a busted lip, and a fractured shoulder.
Solera’s action immediately was condemned by Tamaraws’ owner and Palo Mayor Jennifer Cruz
“We strongly condemn the unsportsmanlike conduct of Michole Sorela of the GenSan Warriors against our player, Jonas Tibayan, during the recent MPBL game. Sorela’s on-court behavior was both shocking and unacceptable — a brutal act that has no place in the world of sports,” said Cruz in a post on Facebook, adding they are planning to take legal actions against Solera.
