(Eagle News) — Gilas Pilipinas player Japeth Aguilar on Tuesday, July 3, apologized for the brawl between his team and Australia during a World Cup qualifier on Monday, July 1.
In an Instagram post, Aguilar said there was “no excuse for how we responded.”
“The incident last night could have been dealt with differently but emotions were running high. In the heat of the moment, we just wanted to defend our brother,” he said.
He admitted that “we acted on emotion rather than logic,” and that “as national athletes, we are representing more than just ourselves as we wear our uniforms.”
“What happened last night is not a just representation of the Filipino. For this, I’d like to apologize to my fellow Filipinos, to the Australian team, to their supporters and to basketball fans everywhere,” he said.
“Hopefully we can move forward with humility, compassion and respect for one another,” he added.
Senator Sonny Angara, chair of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, said the brawl was “unfortunate,” but that he stood by the GIlas players.
FIBA has launched disciplinary proceedings against the Philippine and Australian teams following the incident.