Purefoods Tender Juicy appealed to the PBA board of governors yesterday the Commissioner’s Office’s stiff sanction on James Yap for his flagrant foul on Joseph Yeo in Game Three of the Smart PBA Philippine Cup finals Friday.
The Purefoods management was hoping the board would reverse commissioner Sonny Barrios’ decision suspending Yap for Game Five Wednesday.
The team questioned in particular Barrios’ upgrading of the “flagrant foul 1” infraction called by the referees to “flagrant foul 2” in a meeting with his staff Friday. A flagrant foul 1 would only mean an outright fine.
“We’re perplexed with the decision to upgrade the verdict as flagrant foul 2 a day after the game. We find this decision harsh regardless whether or not we are in the midst of the current PBA finals, in which fans have watched religiously for the benefit of the league,” said Purefoods governor Rene Pardo in a letter to board chairman Tony Chua. – Nelson Beltran