In an official statement on Tuesday, the PBA Press Corps castigated the comments made by Ali Peek on social media on Sunday, where he blindly bashed the media regarding the All-Star selections and major awards winners.
The former PBA cager questioned the absence of players such as Sean Anthony and Vic Manuel in the All-Star Games this week, saying that their non-inclusion is all because the “guys in the (PBA) press room” did not include them.
Peek didn’t know then that All-Stars are voted by the fans, and the reserves are chosen by the coaches of each All-Star team. The media doesn’t determine who the All-Stars will be.
“It was unimaginable on his part – not knowing how the All-Star members are named – considering that he was in the league that long and that he is a member of the television panel covering the games for Cignal’s HD Channel,” the statement said.
His rant even extended to the process of choosing the winners of major awards. Peek made himself an example, saying that he didn’t win any because he’s not “that [redacted] kissing ass around media guys or even worse paying em!”
“Mr. Peek had a Mythical First Team selection and a Mythical Second Team citation, a Best Player of the Conference award, and a Sportsmanship award that were won with help from votes coming from the PBAPC,” said the statement.
“Did he, at any time, give the PBAPC anything for those? Or does Mr. Peek feel that “kissing ass around media guys” would have given him more?”
Peek has already issued an apology through Facebook. However, the PBAPC “wonders why Mr. Peek did not talk to the PBAPC first considering “that we are right next door to each other” before he came up with them?”
The PBAPC made it clear that the official statement is not in any way an indication that the group would want further trouble because of the matter.
“But the PBAPC is also not in the habit of backing down from anyone, especially when its integrity is questioned, not even from Mr. Peek,” they said.
Here is the full statement:
“Ali Peek, a 16-year veteran of the Philippine Basketball Association, a Fil-American this country learned to embrace as its own son and whom members of the PBA Press Corps covered and adored in his long career, shot his mouth off on social media and practically questioned the integrity – and validity – in which individual awards are won in the league.
In a rant on Twitter on May 20, Mr. Peek questioned the non-inclusion of GlobalPort’s Sean Anthony in the All-Star Games to be held this week, and singled out the “guys in (the PBA) Press Room for that, and also that of Alaska’s Vic Manuel.
Mr. Peek also went to the extent of singling out the reason for not winning more awards than he did in his playing career, blaming it for not being “that muthafka kissing ass around media guys or even worse paying em!”
Mr. Peek got his facts wrong, first, because the media doesn’t determine who the members of the All-Star teams are, and second, the PBA Press Corps has never asked for anything in return from anyone for an award.
It was unimaginable on his part – not knowing how the All-Star members are named – considering that he was in the league that long and that he is a member of the television panel covering the games for Cignal’s HD Channel.
To say that the PBA Press Corps took offense to his rants is an understatement, but the group sees it as Mr. Peek questioning the manner how the awards that players who were far greater than him won, like the four MVPs that Alvin Patrimonio and Ramon Fernandez bagged during the greatest years of the league, and the four, and counting, that June Mar Fajardo has.
We encourage Mr. Peek to ask Mr. Fernandez, Mr. Patrimonio and Mr. Fajardo and all the other MVPs of the past, what it took them – aside from the great efforts they came up with to be better at what they do and the sacrifices they had to endure – to win those awards.
Mr. Peek had a Mythical First Team selection and a Mythical Second Team citation, a Best Player of the Conference award and a Sportsmanship award that were won with help from votes coming from the PBAPC.
Did he, at any time, give the PBAPC anything for those?
Or does Mr. Peek feel that “kissing ass around media guys” would have given him more?
The PBA Press Corps doesn’t make decisions in a heartbeat, the group makes them after long deliberations and careful consideration.
There have been many close races in individual awards in the past, and the PBAPC decided on them – if its vote indeed turned out to be the swing vote – with utmost sincerity.
That’s why it pains the group so much that Mr. Peek decided to come up with his rants without any provocation. And in his apology posted on Facebook today, the group wonders why Mr. Peek did not talk to the PBAPC first considering “that we are right next door to each other” before he came up with them?
The PBAPC is not in the business of picking fights with personalities it covers, the group is also not here to explain to anyone its choices in voting for people other than to each other when the members deliberate before it votes.
But the PBAPC is also not in the habit of backing down from anyone, especially when its integrity is questioned, not even from Mr. Peek.”
