No shot at redemption: John Amores and other players banned by GAB, PBA

The Games and Amusements Board (GAB) dropped the ax on former Northport Batang Pier player John Amores as he reportedly had his professional license revoked on Sunday, following his involvement in a shooting incident in Laguna earlier this year.

According to the decision, the governing body found the ex-JRU Heavy Bomber guilty of “conduct unbecoming of a professional basketball player.”

Earlier this year, after the shooting incident in September, the PBA suspended Amores indefinitely — a decision which irked many fans, deeming the punishment too soft for the severity of his actions.

[RELATED: John Amores misses shot at redemption: A timeline]

But through the years, there have been a number of players who have been slapped with similar consequences for various violations. As the local sports world swirls over the Amores decision, let’s dive into the cagers who suffered the same fate.

Game-fixing, on-court violence

Among the biggest sins which GAB has been historically harsh on is game fixing, which was proved by an incident in a Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup game back in early 2021.

A total of 10 people — including 4-time UAAP champion Ryan Buenafe — had their licenses revoked, having been involved in game-fixing allegations in a match between the Siquijor Mystics and Lapu-Lapu.

Aside from Buenafe, Peter Buenafe, Frederick Rodriguez, Juan Aspiras, Joseph Quiro, Jan Penaflor, Joshua Alcober, Gene Belleza, and Michael Calomot were given the same penalty by GAB.

Also banned from professional sports in the Philippines was Mystics head coach Joel Palapal.

Meanwhile, former PBA D League coach Alvin Pua is also among those banned — at least in the PBA — after mauling a referee in the development league back in 2015.

Teams not spared

GAB has been stern in the past for those who have failed to live up to the agency’s standards, and it has been so not just for players, but for teams as well.

Not only do players risk losing their professional license when they act up, but teams are also handed blacklist orders when they fail to adhere to their responsibilities to their players and their respective leagues.

Moving over to football, Philippines Football League club Global FC was handed a pink slip by the GAB, barring the team from applying or renewing its license. This was because the club was facing complaints of unpaid wages.

Not long after, with the club unable to respond to the show cause order issued by the GAB, the decision was handed over against one of the PFL’s first clubs in the country.

Close calls

While not always jumping to suspensions and terminations, GAB has been known to penalize players to issue a warning against their antics — either on-court or off of it.

Perhaps most familiar to those of the Amores case would remember Calvin Abueva’s own trial with the GAB and suspensions in the late 2010s.

For violence on the court, as well as allegations made against the player in his personal life, Abueva had his license suspended by GAB for more than a year, then playing for the Phoenix Fuel Masters in the PBA.

He was granted his license back during the PBA’s bubble season but had to follow stern conditions — including mandatory drug tests and attending seminars.

So far, Abueva hasn’t been on the receiving end of any long-term suspensions since then.

Lifetime ban: Not really for life?

Most of the time, a lifetime ban is a penalty that can no longer be overturned, with a player of coach no longer able to redeem themselves for what had caused their removal from professional sports.

But in the case of the PBA, a lifetime ban hasn’t always lasted a lifetime.

Some might recall that former PBA import Renaldo Balkman had previously been banned from playing in the PBA — following physical altercations in a game between the Alaska Aces, and the Petron Blaze Boosters — who he played for for only a total of seven games in 2013.

Surprisingly, the lifetime ban was lifted just five years after and the PBA decided to welcome back Balkman, but not without speaking to the players involved in the altercation to seek their blessing.

Regardless, the PBA has shown itself to be a little more forgiving.

But with Amores’ case, with multiple incidents already showing Amores’ tendencies, it’ll be hard to justify his return.

Still set to face criminal charges for his actions, it may be a while — if ever — before we see Amores back in the playing court.