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MANILA, Philippines – The PBA cracked the whip on Bay Area players Myles Powell and Hayden Blankley for their scathing remarks on the officiating after Game 3 of the Commissioner’s Cup finals.
Powell got slapped a P100,000 fine, while Blankley incurred a P75,000 penalty following their social media rants blasting the PBA referees as the Dragons lost 89-82 to Barangay Ginebra in Game 3 on Wednesday, January 4.
League commissioner Willie Marcial summoned Powell and Blankley on Thursday and said the two apologized for their comments.
“We accepted their apology,” Marcial said in Filipino.
Powell earned a heftier fine after claiming on Twitter that the referees are “making the difference” between who wins or loses as Bay Area fell 1-2 in the best-of-seven series.
The former NBA player called for a fair officiating after the Dragons attempted just 10 free throws in Game 3 compared to the Gin Kings’ 38 foul shots.
Meanwhile, Blankley alleged that the finals is rigged as he fouled out with under six minutes remaining.
“Got nothing but love for the [Philippines] and its people, but at this points, it’s obvious,” Blankley wrote on an Instagram story. “Just let it be a fair game, please. As the locals would say, it’s ‘cooked.'”
Blankley immediately deleted his post.
“He has a tweet that the referees decide the games. That is extremely detrimental to the league,” Marcial said when asked why Powell received the harsher punishment.
Sticking with Andrew Nicholson despite his injury, Bay Area shoots for the equalizer in Game 4 on Friday, January 6, at the Mall of Asia Arena. – Rappler.com
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