The case of Thirdy Ravena’s one-game suspension has been a hotly debated topic in social media.
Though an ejection automatically entails a suspension in the UAAP, Ravena was suspended for something that was not called in the game.
Last Sunday, with 1:26 left in the first quarter of the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles’ game against the UP Fighting Maroons, Paul Desiderio dropped down in pain. Though no call was made, replays showed that Ravena had thrown a closed fist at Desiderio’s chest.
The fourth-year Blue Eagle was suspended by the league three days after the game because of a FIBA rule stating that though calls cannot be upgraded, penalties can still be imposed.
This effectively ends Ravena’s hopes of picking up a regular season individual award. He is a two-time All-UAAP team member.
Upon find out about this development, Paras, a UP commit immediately lashed out at the league’s officials.
“UAAP, I bet my life that the person who disqualified Thirdy doesn’t even hoop or hasn’t even touched or played with a damn basketball before,” he tweeted, Friday afternoon.
“Y’all so weak.”
A few commented on Paras’ post, with one questioning his loyalty to the UP Fighting Maroons.
“I know Thirdy is a good friend but shouldn’t you be concerned about your fellow UP comrades in this situation since you’re technically under [SIC] their team?” one netizen asked.
Paras replied, “Brother*” – saying that Ravena, a fellow Gilas cadet, is not just a good friend but a brother.
“This has nothing to do with UP at all. This is about my brother not being able to receive any awards.”
