TNT head coach Chot Reyes was slapped with a P50,000 fine while team manager Jojo Lastimosa was charged P20,000 as the PBA Commissioner’s Office cracked the whip on the two following the former’s post-game outburst in the Tropang Giga’s 94-92 loss to the Magnolia Hotshots last Wednesday, Oct. 5.
The fines stemmed from Reyes’ actions after the game when he charged towards the technical table and confronted game officials over a late foul called on TNT new player Calvin Oftana.
The foul actually cost Tropang Giga the game as it sent Paul Lee to the foul line with four seconds left. Lee sank both charities while TNT failed to launch its Hail Mary shot at the final buzzer.
Fuming over the call, Reyes had to be restrained by his assistant coaches and PBA deputy commissioner Eric Castro. It didn’t end there though as Reyes after post-game prayer inside the TNT dugout stormed out of the Big Dome while shouting profanity at the game officials.
Lastimosa, on the other hand, was fined for also crossing the court and confronting officials and technical table – an offense against league rules as per a PBA memo dated Oct. 22, 2007.
“No member of any team may approach the Commissioner’s Row (now the Technical Group Table) or talk to the Supervisor of Officials (unless otherwise requested) before, during or after a game in full public view,” the league cited in a statement.
After the reviews of the available footage of the late foul called on Oftana, including three new angles of the incident, the PBA also deemed the officials’ judgment on that specific play was the right call.
