Jericho fined; regrets joining fight

Jericho Cruz had an unusual birthday gift as the Rain or Shine rookie was fined by the PBA Commissioner’s Office for getting involved in a fight during the Elasto Painters’ preseason match against newcomer NLEX Road Warriors.

Cruz, who turned 23 on Saturday, was slapped by the Philippine Basketball Association with a P20,000 (around $450) fine for throwing the ball to NLEX big man Enrico Villanueva in a highly physical tune-up game between the Elasto Painters and the Road Warriors last Sept. 26 at the Meralco Gym in Pasig City.

Jericho Cruz is congratulated by a Rain or Shine player after the Elasto Painters selected him as the ninth overall pick in this year’s PBA Rookie Draft. (Contributed Photo)

The incident, which was caught on a video camera, started after Villanueva gave a hard foul on a driving Ryan Arana, who then retaliated by throwing the ball at the NLEX big man.

Villanueva then punched Arana at the back of the head and they exchanged blows and kicks, while Cruz was seen throwing the ball to the NLEX player before cooler heads intervened to prevent the scuffle from escalating into a full blown brawl.

Cruz, the ninth overall pick in this year’s PBA Rookie Draft, said he just acted on instinct after seeing the bigger and burly Villanueva attacking Arana, who is one of the Elasto Painters’ combo guards. He added that he regretted what he’s done.

“I saw [Villanueva] attacking [Arana] so I had to do something and I threw the ball instantly since my teammate was in trouble. My only mistake was I didn’t think first before I acted,” said Cruz. “Maybe it was a reflex kind of thing, instinct. They decided to stop the game after the incident.”

Cruz, who is starting a young family with wife Mosh Carlos and daughter Pristine Althea, added that he learned his lesson after being summoned to the office of PBA Commissioner Chito Salud and being fined a hefty sum.

“I’ve learned my lesson. I should always keep my cool. I don’t want to get involved in a fight and will just intervene in order to break up a fight instead of joining in. I got carried away,” he ended.

Bad blood could have played a part in the incident between NLEX and Rain or Shine, as Villanueva was a former standout of the Ateneo Blue Eagles, while Arana was from its fierce rival De La Salle Green Archers. Both players were also involved in a melee that broke out in one of the Ateneo-La Salle games in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines early 2000.

Villanueva was slapped with a P40,000 (around $900) fine for his hard foul and first punch, while Arana is fined with the same amount for throwing the ball that started the fight. Former University of Santo Tomas King Tiger Jervy Cruz, Jericho and Arana’s teammate, incurred the similar amount after he was seen kicking Villanueva while the NLEX big man was down on the floor.