Baylon says salary cap breach exists

MANILA, Philippines - PBA board vice chairman JB Baylon believes that, indeed, some ball clubs are breaching the league’s salary cap rule but it’s just so hard to prove.

“It won’t be proven unless the players or agents admit they’re being paid over the pay cap. But who will admit,” said Baylon in reaction to Alaska Milk owner Wilfred Uytengsu’s claim of certain teams violating the rules to stay competitive.

Baylon, the top executive of the Powerade team, said he’s willing to sit down with board chair Mamerto Mondragon and commissioner Chito Salud to discuss the issue.

Mondragon and Salud couldn’t be reached for comment yesterday.

“Even if I’m in their position, I would struggle how to start (handling the issue). It’s hard,” said Baylon.

“For all we know, it might just be gimmick of the agents,” Baylon also said, hinting at player agents spilling supposed breaches of others so that their players are the ones given wages above what is allowed.

Under the league salary cap rule, the team is allowed to spend a maximum of only P36 million on player wages for a year. The players, meanwhile, can’t get a monthly pay of over P350,000.

During the press conference announcing Tim Cone’s resignation as Alaska coach, Uytengsu once again blasted teams perceived to be cheating to be competitive.

The outspoken team owner didn’t specify any team, though.

He hinted at leaving the league if the issue is not solved.

“The reality is... it’s not a level playing field in the PBA,” he said. ”Somewhere down the road, if we see the foundation of the PBA to crumble beyond repair and where graft and corruption becomes the norm, I think that may be the time that we have to look elsewhere because I don’t think that the PBA is a viable medium of entertainment,” he added.

Uytengsu is flabbergasted at why some players can still request release from their mother teams even if they’re already given the maximum pay.

Rumors say other teams give their players extra pay outside of what is specified in contract submitted to the PBA office.

A harsh sanction awaits a team that would be proven violating the salary cap rule.

Facing this problem, Tanduay left the league in 2001.