Benilde head coach Charles Tiu talks about giving chances, 'teaching moment' from John Amores incident

Former Jose Rizal University player John Amores has been on the receiving end of criticism following his punching of players during their match against the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde last November 8 in NCAA Season 98.

Amores himself has personally apologized to the Benilde players and is facing a complaint lodged by Blazers Jimboy Pasturan and Taine Davis, who said they have also accepted Amores' apology. The former Heavy Bomber has also been slapped with an indefinite suspension by the league and was removed from the roster of athletes of the Shaw Boulevard-based school.

In an interview on 'The Howie Severino Podcast,' Benilde head coach Charles Tiu was asked if Amores should still be given a chance to play in a college league despite what happened.

"That's tricky. I don't know if they'll allow him. But I would still say yes. I would say obviously he probably has to pay the consequences first but I think when that happened, I wasn't even sure if he was suspended or what. But to me, it's really up to the people guiding him," Tiu said. 

"They have to find a way to help the kid and to change his behavior because if not, it will just keep happening again. But if you ask me, I still give him a chance, to be honest."

In a previous interview, Tiu said Amores' apology was 'a step in the right direction.'

For the Benilde head coach, the Amores incident was also a 'teaching moment' for him in basketball.

"It already happened. We can't do anything anymore. The guy is already being bashed by everybody. There's nobody in his... Pretty much nobody is on his side, right? So I told our players to understand and know his situation," Tiu said.

"You know, he must've had a troubled past. I'm a bit upset, I'm more upset that when this happened previously, nobody kind of guided him and corrected him. Because for us, when we have players who are also a bit hot-headed, you could say, a bit more on the physical, dirty side, we try to take that away from them."

Tiu said the incident taught them of being a better person and taking in mind that actions reflect a person's upbringing.

"When this happened, you know, we said 'Again, life is about second chances, about opportunities.' And for us, it's about being the better person. Tayo lang. We just want to represent our school with class and honor. Because you know, I tell them, 'When you do certain things, sometimes you don't think.' I said, 'You punch a guy, maybe you said, yeah, it feels good.' But then, years from now, what is good? Does it make you any better? [Do] you gain anything more by saying you knock somebody else? It doesn't change your life for the better."

"But you know, it shows more to be a peacemaker. It takes more character to hold your strings. That shows more of a man. And again, when you do your actions, it reflects not just on you, but reflects your family, the people around you. So we have to be mindful of the things that we do in life."

The Benilde Blazers are now heading to the Finals of the NCAA Season 98 men's basketball tournament after defeating the San Beda Red Lions in the Final Four.

—Justin Kenneth Carandang/JMB, GMA Integrated News