Choices and consequences

It was a decision that didn’t come from left field. When the PBA Board of Governors recently imposed a three-year leave on players refusing renewal bids when their contracts expire and rookies who turn down offers from drafting teams to see action elsewhere, the rule was as expected as it was inevitable.

There’s nothing wrong with players seeking better opportunities beyond the PBA. But if they decide to jump ship, surely the PBA can’t be blamed for not just sitting back to be relegated to low priority status. The PBA is a proud institution that has rights just like players.

If a PBA player makes a name for himself, boosts his marketability and becomes a leading light on his team, the expectation is when his contract expires, he’ll be offered a renewal. Whether he agrees to a renewal or not is his decision. Scouts from overseas leagues, particularly in Japan and Korea, are always on the lookout for PBA standouts, preferably in their 20s, to make an offer when their UPCs expire. Note that PBA teams invest in those players and build championship dreams around them. If they’re offered bigger contracts abroad, nobody can blame them for leaving but they must understand there are consequences to every decision. In the case of PBA players turning down contract renewals “for greener pastures,” the consequence is they won’t be permitted to return to the PBA until after three years.

Most foreign contracts are for a short term so what happens to a PBA player who departs but is cut after a year? He’ll likely return to his fall-back which is the PBA. To be honest, that’s not fair to the PBA. Players must understand that the PBA is for Filipinos and it was established 50 years ago to give Filipinos an opportunity to make a living out of the sport they love. Treating the PBA with respect is something players must uphold.

The incidence of players moving out of the PBA to play abroad prompted the league to start thinking of protecting its turf from foreign raiders. Arvin Tolentino, William Navarro and Jamie Malonzo are the latest to desert. Under the PBA’s new rule which is retroactive, a player who declines an offer to renew by his team will not be allowed to return to the league until three years after the date of tender. The PBA could restrain a player from joining a foreign league by not giving his FIBA clearance which is required for a transfer but that apparently isn’t something the Board has in mind at the moment.

For rookies who are drafted, receive an offer and refuse to sign, they, too, will be subjected to a three-year leave. Again, it’s to protect the PBA whose teams will have wasted a chance to improve their roster by drafting a player who refuses to sign. The key consideration is a player has the option to decide what to do and where to go while weighing the consequences of his decision. Obviously, the imposition will not apply to players who skip the draft and play elsewhere as in their case, the PBA will still not have invested until they enter the draft.