PBA suspends John Amores for one conference without pay after shooting incident
The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has suspended NorthPort guard John Amores for one conference without pay after he and his brother got involved in a shooting incident after a basketball game in Lumban, Laguna.
According to the basketball league, they will be penalizing Amores with the suspension regardless of whether his attempted homicide case would be dismissed, effectively preventing him from receiving any salary for his games in the Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup.
"Quarreling with other players in a pick-up game, engaging in a challenge to a fight, chasing after his protagonist with a handgun, and then shooting his gun are not consistent with the standard of behavior and image that the PBA wishes to project to its fans, particularly to its young followers," the PBA stated.
"The potential for young people to see Amores' conduct as acceptable is disturbing, and this the PBA will not permit," they added.
Under the Uniform Player Contract, Amores is expected to show "good citizenship, good moral character, and good sportsmanship" and to "not do anything which is detrimental to the interest of the club and of the PBA"
Because of this, the PBA stressed that Amores should "carry himself in public, including his posts in social media, in a proper and respectful manner, in good demeanor, and worthy of emulation form the public."
Both the league and the management of NorthPort are "strongly against any kind of violence on and off the court." They also advocate responsible ownership and safe handling of guns.
"Unfortunately, this is not the first time that John Amores had been involved in violence," the PBA noted.
The sports star, who played for Jose Rizal University during his college days, was previously banned from the National Collegiate Athletics Association in 2022 after punching four players from De La Salle-College of St. Benilde during a game.
"In order for Amores to be allowed to play again in the PBA, he must without delay submit to counselling to address his anger and violent tendencies, and clearance to play must be obtained from his counsellor/s," the PBA stated.
"Choice of the counseling program of Amores should be with the approval of the PBA, and the program must continue until cleared and terminated by the counsellor/s," they added.
Despite the punishment, the league is still allowing him to practice with his team and join in its activities during his suspension as "isolating him from his normal environment will not be helpful and healthy for his rehabilitation."
"He must learn to deal with his issues under as normal circumstances as possible. It is under normal settings, including the challenges and stress they create, where he can fully exercise tolerance and restraint. In any case, he will be subjected to stiffer penalties and restrictions should his violent tendencies erupt during team activities," the PBA continued.
Amores' attempted homicide case came after he had a heated argument with the victim identified as Lee Cacalda in Barangay Salac. They were playing basketball when they had a fight over a reported foul call. According to state-run Philippine News Agency (PNA), there was reportedly a P4,000 bet on the line.
Lumban police chief Bob Ordiz said Amores and Cacalda challenged each other to a fistfight before they left the venue until they saw each other again in Barangay Maytalang I, where tensions escalated anew.
Amores then brought out his gun and fired at Cacalda before running away. The bullet didn't hit the victim.
Police tried chasing Amores and his brother before the former surrendered at 1:55 a.m. and the latter at 2:35 a.m. on Sept. 26. The PBA player allegedly threw away the gun he had fired.
The cases against the two were filed before the Municipal Circuit Trial Court in Lumban with a bail bond of P24,000 for Amores and P10,000 for his brother.
