Spitting in the wind

There’s a saying that spitting in the wind means wasting your time by trying to do something which has little or no chance of success. It’s not to accuse anyone of lying but UP player Reyland Torres’ claim that he was spat at by La Salle coach Topex Robinson during a heated moment in the third quarter of a UAAP game at the MOA Arena last Sunday apparently has no basis.

Videos of the alleged spitting incident show that Torres passed by Robinson at the sidelines of La Salle’s bench twice, once heading towards the Archers basket and the second time, towards the Maroons basket. You wonder why with the expanse of the hardcourt, Torres chose to walk past Robinson near the La Salle bench. What was he thinking? A video showed that as Torres walked by Robinson, he lifted the upper part of his jersey to cover his mouth. Was it to avoid any video showing the movement of his mouth so as to hide whatever he said?

In a statement to the UAAP Board, Robinson said Torres, as he passed by close to him near the La Salle bench, told him, “*ang ina niyo, nagkakagulo na kayo.” Robinson said he rebuffed Torres but never spat at him. If he spat, Torres would’ve howled, ranted, cried foul and confronted Robinson right there and then. That would’ve been the natural reaction. Torres would’ve raised Cain and called attention to Robinson’s spitting immediately. Yet, he didn’t and instead, walked by, not once but twice. It was when Torres reached the UP bench that he accused Robinson of spitting. A little late reaction so Torres had time to think of what to do to escalate a non-issue to an issue. He complained to the referees and UP coaches did the same.

Robinson said he shouldn’t have told off Torres and should’ve just turned his back on the obvious provocation. Torres taunted and drew a reaction from Robinson. But was the reaction a spit? No video will show it. And Torres’ calm strolling in front of Robinson twice wasn’t a natural reaction to being spat at. Robinson apologized to the UAAP, UP and Torres himself for talking back. But he vehemently denied spitting.

Torres’ claim sparked an outburst from the UP coaches pointing at the La Salle bench, shouting the derogatory word “squatter” at Robinson. The term has both racial and social discriminatory connotations. La Salle’s coaches pointed back at the UP coaches. Invectives were exchanged. Unfortunately, this happened in front of a huge crowd of university officials, faculty, alumni, alumnae and students a lot of whom were kids. What a terrible example to the youth. The UAAP is supposed to be a platform where student athletes perform to the best of their abilities in the highest spirit of sportsmanship, fair play and respect for competition. It was painful to see coaches and players screaming at each other, hurling invectives and displaying disgusting behavior. Has school rivalry gone down to this level? Is winning at all costs now the guiding principle?

To make matters worse, UP has filed a request for an investigation of the alleged spitting incident. This escalation is regrettable. Will La Salle do the same thing and request for an investigation of Torres supposedly playing provocateur? Will La Salle go to the extent of demanding retribution for using the insulting term “squatter?” Let’s put a stop to these mind games and just play ball.