In a phone interview on ANC’s Hardball program, Meralco Bolts head coach Norman Black said Gary David’s suspension was mainly because of his attitude towards the team during the Meralco-NLEX game, which was something that “should not be tolerated.”
“No player or coach is above the team. (Meralco) had to do the disciplinary action because such (attitude) should not be tolerated,” Black said in the interview.
Black added that games are not about a player’s individual performance, but rather team success. He also shared that David had been having a “bad game” in the first half, which was why he had fielded other guards, particularly Ronjay Buenafe.
“If you are asked to play five minutes or 45 minutes, you should respect the coach. This is about the team,” he said. “Hopefully we can learn from this (experience).”
Meralco released an official statement about the issue a few days ago, stating “Black asked player Gary David to check in the game” and that “Gary (David) then indicated to Coach Norman that he did not want to play. After further investigation, it was clear there were no physical impediments for Gary not to enter the game.”
In the statement, the Meralco management stated that David’s “behavior is unacceptable in different levels” because of “insubordination”, “lack of dedication to the team”, and “breach of contract which states that he’s obligated to play in official PBA games at all times.”
Black also said David has been put on the reserve list, which means he will be out for at least a game.
