Salud warns teams on pay cap violations

MANILA, Philippines - PBA commissioner Chito Salud warned yesterday ballclubs found violating the league’s salary cap rule, saying player trades and payrolls are being monitored, and that he’ll throw the book at any team found breaching the measures established to keep parity and competitive balance in the league.

Salud insisted he’s in the Commissioner’s Office to uphold the rules of the league.

“Should I find actionable cases of salary cap breach, I will not waste time sanctioning the guilty parties. Violators be warned,” said Salud.

He stressed that he has taken a pro-active position on the matter, but not being vocal to prevent a trial by publicity.

In this regard, he reminded Alaska team owner Wilfred Steven Uytengsu to be careful with his allegations of salary cap violations by some teams. During a press conference announcing Tim Cone’s resignation as Alaska coach last Thursday, Uytengsu said his team would leave the PBA if the league can’t control salary cap violations.

“The matters that he brought up, particularly the alleged violations of salary cap, are critical issues which must be discussed in reasonable manner, primarily within the confines of the PBA boardroom,” said Salud.

“To be clear, what Mr. Uytengsu advocates – the upholding of the rules of the league – is also my advocacy. I believe that the vast majority of our players and team officials abide by the rules, so it’s unfair to tar them with sweeping statements,” Salud added.

“Let’s call a spade, a spade. By its very nature, this is one issue where proof is hard to come by and innuendos easy to make. But it does not mean it does not happen,” Salud also said.

Many other league officials do believe violations are committed.

PBA board vice chairman JB Baylon is one of them although he’s saying it’s so hard to prove.

Salud said he might bring in external parties to help them to go deeper in the probe.

“I will consult with all the team owners individually and harness their collective experience and viewpoint on the matter to resolve once and for all accusations of salary cap violations,” he said.   

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

In the PBA records, only 15 out of over 140 players with live contracts are being paid the maximum salary.

There were reports, however, that teams sign their players to two separate contracts. One is the one filed with the PBA Commissioner’s Office and the other – more lucrative – is the one truly enforced.