This is the image that went viral on social media starting on Monday. UV wingman JJ Rosete puts Ateneo de Cebu forward Benedict Chua in a headlock while they scramble for a loose ball in their game last Sunday.
Apparently, the message that team manager Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas tried to impart on his University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers after their preseason scuffle against Don Bosco fell on deaf ears.
This, after the Baby Lancers, have again found themselves in the middle of a maelstrom after an image of who appears to be promising guard JJ Rosete putting Ateneo de Cebu forward Benedict Chua in a threatening headlock in the middle of a loose ball scramble in their match last Sunday went viral on social media on Monday morning.
While the match was undoubtedly one-sided, tempers still flared as early as the first period which saw UV big man Ivan Maata get ejected from the match for punching Ateneo de Cebu forward Errol Pastor in the nether regions.
Gullas, also Cebu First District’s representative, was also at the match and was clearly displeased upon seeing the image.
“Rest assured, I will investigate and heads will roll. This is not what we teach our students at UV,” said Gullas.
Just last July, UV was slapped with a fine of P55,000 and 11 of their players were suspended after they got involved in a free-for-all with Don Bosco in a preseason tournament in Cordova.
The league’s chief physician, Dr. Timothy Rhoel Dejano, said, after taking a look at the image, that Rosete’s actions were dangerous, citing the case of former PBA player Eugene Tejada who got paralyzed after he was sat on by Mick Pennisi in the middle of a game.
“That action may cause a spinal cord injury to the cervical spine, leading to paralysis from the neck down,” said Dejano.
Newly elevated head coach Phil Mercader said that his player’s actions were “unacceptable” and that he already has a penalty in mind for the erring player.
“I will not let this kind of behavior pass among our players. That is totally unacceptable,” Mercader said.
However, he also said that he has already talked to Rosete about the incident and his player claimed that he was only going for the ball.
Regardless, Mercader said that he will propose a suspension to Gullas when the latter comes back this Thursday.
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