Chris Newsome will have to pay a P20,000 fine for incurring a flagrant foul penalty two during Meralco’s PBA Philippine Cup battle with NLEX, Wednesday.
League rules say that an F2 merits such a hefty penalty, but no suspension has been meted out for the star guard, according to Commissioner Willie Marcial.
The 31-year-old got slapped with the call for throwing the ball to opposing forward Anthony Semerad. The two had a heated exchange barely two minutes into the fourth quarter, with the Bolts ahead by double digits, 89-77.
It began when Newsome and Semerad went a bit aggressive in jockeying for position for a rebound. The former was able to grab the miss, but the latter, per replays, appeared to say some words before giving a nudge.
That’s when the ball-throwing incident took place. But their teammates were quick to step in and separate the two to prevent any untoward incident.
Semerad was assessed with a technical foul for second motion as Newsome got booted out of the match.
Newsome left with only an assist and a steal to his name. It was his first game back since being placed under the health and safety protocols.
The Bolts, though, still emerged victorious, 104-101. They secured the no. 2 seed and a twice-to-beat advantage for the quarterfinals.
