JIO Jalalon’s latest infraction could cost him plenty, including the chance to stay with a championship-caliber team like Magnolia.
Former league chairman and Hotshots executive Rene Pardo stressed this yesterday, saying Jalalon faces stiffer penalties and would surely be on his way out if he commits another violation that would again put the family-oriented team in a bad light.
“Sa susunod na offense niya,30 days suspension. Tingnan ko kung di siya talagang masaktan,” Magnolia’s representative to the PBA Board told Malaya-Business Insight.
“Ngayon nga, wala namang nag-o-offer ng trade. Pero pag may maganda lang na mag-offer sure na kapalit siya,” added Pardo. “I’m always open to trade. If there’s a nice offer on the table, I expect a better player at lalo na ngayon sa kaso niya.”
The usually amiable executive spoke in the wake of reports Jalalon was fined P75,000 and suspended for five days without pay by the PBA for playing in an unsanctioned game in Pangasinan recently.
That marked the third time Jalalon violated team rules. He had played as a guest player in a tournament in his hometown of Cagayan de Oro without team permission and also played in another “larong labas” in Laguna also last year.
What irked Pardo was the fact that he had given Jalalon warnings that obviously fell on deaf ears. “Hindi ko maintindihan ‘yan. Talagang matigas ang ulo,” he said.
