MANILA, Philippines – It did not take long before Terrence Jones buried the hatchet with Arwind Santos as the TNT import accepted the apology of the San Miguel veteran following his monkey taunt.

Jones was approached by Santos before tipoff of Game 6 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals to personally say sorry for his controversial behavior that has been widely criticized for being racist. 

From afar, Jones seemed to have shrugged off Santos, but he clarified that he was just too focused on the game at hand. 

“He apologized but it was close to game time and at that point, I’m in game mode,” Jones told reporters after the KaTropa failed to extend the best-of-seven duel with the Beermen winning the title in 6 games. 

Nevertheless, Jones seemed to have forgiven Santos, who also posted a public apology on his social media accounts. 

“Yeah. I mean, I’m a human being. I just wanted him to respect me as a person, as a father, and as a black man,” said Jones when asked if he accepted Santos’ apology. 

“I’m here to represent my family. And I’m not saying anything bad about anybody else’s culture or race. That’s all I was saying.”

Terrence Jones was approached by Arwind Santos before Game 6 to apologize for his monkey gesture.

Jones says he accepts it and only wants to be treated with respect as a human being. #PBAFinals #PBA2019 | @dioquinodelfin pic.twitter.com/ZvDdYcF29V

— Rappler Sports (@RapplerSports) August 16, 2019

Having spent nearly 4 months in the Philippines and being welcomed with love and adoration by Filipino fans, Jones said the incident did not dampen his experience.  

“No one person could tarnish how much love I was shown here with by the fans and the communities that I’ve been here with,” he said. 

“I just wanted to have that be respected as a person. I definitely didn’t take that into consideration of my overall stay here.” – Rappler.com