Bayno tirades draw record P.2-M in fines

Talk N Text coach Bill Bayno yesterday was given a severe sanction and record fine of P200,000 for scoring the referees and insinuating the PBA is virtually a San Miguel league during a post-game interview last Sunday.

Bayno was fined P100,000 for publicly criticizing the league and another P100,000, actually the total of five fines at P20,000 each for the statement he made directed at the Commissioner’s Office and the four San Miguel Corp. ballclubs – San Miguel, Ginebra, Purefoods and Coca-Cola.

Commissioner Jun Bernardino said Bayno was assessed the heavy fine for violating the PBA Code of Ethics with his "sweeping, yet unsubstantiated statements."

The previous biggest fine handed down by the league was P100,000 to former team owner Joey Concepcion of the disbanded RFM Corp. franchise. He also launched a verbal attack on the league on the "Al Solis issue" in the late 90s, a tug-of-war controversy between RFM and Talk N Text itself for the services of the ace player.

Bernardino criticized Bayno for his tirades and advised the American mentor to "focus on coaching your team on the court instead of questioning the wisdom of the league policies and practices."

"Any association that allows any member to publicly criticize another team or the association itself, will be so divided in time that its continued existence will be in jeopardy. There are avenues open to all teams to raise concerns about the league but definitely public criticism is not one of them," he said.

The commissioner cited certain sections of the league constitution in handing the decision on Bayno, including one prohibiting any team personality "from issuing or endorsing a statement designed to have a prejudicial or detrimental effect to the best interests of basketball or of the association or of a member or its team."

"(Bayno’s) statement that four commonly-owned teams are working towards their own athletic association which (Bayno) again failed to substantiate, best exemplifies the acts sought to be prohibited," said Bernardino.

He said the PBA board of governors, after exhaustive and intense discussion, approved the amendments to the league constitution allowing any PBA team to maintain more than one team. "Hence, if any criticism of said amendment is going to be made, it should only be done within the confines of the board of governors," said Bernardino.

Anticipating a quarterfinals matchup with San Miguel, Bayno, in the media interview, said: "Everytime we play San Miguel, we never get our fair shake. San Miguel always gets the calls. It’s happening. The commissioner saw it."

He added: "I’ve been here long enough and I’ve heard a lot of rumors. I’m not afraid to say it. SMBA is what this is . . . San Miguel Basketball Association. That’s the reason (the Beermen) won a lot of championships. I’m not afraid to say the truth. And that’s the truth."