Oscar Rocha Suspended

Toyota's Oscar Rocha was regarded as one of the PBA's top enforcers. Rocha was given a one-month suspension in 1975 for punching Bernie Fabiosa in the league's first-ever Crispa-Toyota match.

One-month suspension, P 500-fine for Rocha
PBA also fines Fabiosa, Reynoso

Bulletin Today
Published Tuesday May 13, 1975

Toyota's Oscar Rocha was suspended for one month and fined P500 by the Philippine Basketball Association for punching Crispa's Bernard Fabiosa during last Saturday's Crispa-Toyota match while two others, including Fabiosa, were similarly fined for various offenses committed during the same contest.

The disciplinary measures were announced by PBA commissioner Leo Prieto yesterday as the association firmly set the tone on the courses of action it would take in dealing with misbehaving players on the court.

Fabiosa, the spitfirish Crispa sentinel, was slapped P50 fine for throwing the ball at Cristino Reynoso while Reynoso himself drew a P25 fine for making dirty hand signs.


Prieto said he would also refer the Toyota management to implement section 4 of the players' contract. Under this section a player may not draw his salary for the duration of his suspension.

Rocha's suspension, which ends June 10, will prevent him from seeing action with the Comets for the rest of the second round.

Prieto, in assessing the PBA's first disciplinary action, said that the measure was not totally designed to punish player but more or less, to instill good behavior among players and to discourage the repetition of such events.

"It could have been a riot, you know," Prieto recalled after Rocha sent Fabiosa sprawled on the floor with a punch to the face. Both players were then in midcourt and were completely out of the action when the incident happened.

He said the maximum fine could have gone as high as P1,000 and probably a few more weeks of suspension had the punching incident touched off a riot.

All suspensions and fines are not appealable.

Meanwhile, Danny Floro, manager of the Crispa team, explained last night why his players decided to turn professional after repeated announcements that they would remain amateurs.

Floro, coach Virgilio "Baby" Dalupan and seven members of the team were guests during "Sports Review," a weekly sports program on GTV-4.

He said the players themselves had decided to join the PBA after they did not get an assurance from the Basketball Association of the Philippines that they would be picked as candidates for the RP team to the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) championship.

Floro said his players felt discouraged when they were the only ones left after the other top players had joined the PBA.