MANILA, Philippines – Before running amok and hitting three College of St. Benilde players in an NCAA game, the UP Fighting Maroons had already filed a criminal complaint against Jose Rizal University’s John Amores.
Amores, who figured in a scuffle during JRU’s game against the CSB Blazers on Tuesday, had hit UP’s Mark Belmonte in a preseason game last July.
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Belmonte suffered gum fractures, teeth dislocation and mouth lacerations, which required him to have surgery after his encounter with Amores.
UP and JRU were playing in a Universities and Colleges Basketball League (UCBL) game in SGS Stadium in Quezon City when the incident happened.
The complaint was filed on September 7 with the Office of the Prosecutor in Quezon City. UP shared a portion of the document with Philstar.com.
A portion of the document of UP’s Mark Belmonte filing a criminal complaint against JRU’s John Amores for hitting him during a preseason game earlier this year
On Tuesday, Amores ran amok anew against the CSB Blazers in an NCAA game | @StarSportsHub @PhilstarNews pic.twitter.com/QP5rZ3CuDu— Luisa Morales (@mluisamorales_) November 9, 2022
UP alumni group Nowhere To Go But UP founder Renan Dalisay also said that they had filed a complaint with JRU themselves. But that nothing had come out of it.
Following Amores’ run in with CSB, Dalisay said that it might have been avoided if JRU had taken action.
“The unfortunate incident this afternoon where some CSB players were seriously injured could have been avoided if the school administration and the coaching staff of JRU acted swiftly on the matter,” wrote Dalisay on social media, where he also included the letters exchanged between UP and JRU.
“We expected JRU to take proactive steps. But since nothing came out of our efforts with the school’s administration, we were morally bound to file a criminal case against JRU player John Amores,” he continued.
As of posting time, the NCAA Management Committee has yet to decide on the sanctions for Amores as they are currently discussing it in a meeting.