Salud fines Sharpe; sends message to PBA teams

Aside from fining GlobalPort import Walter Sharpe P40,000 for what he termed "inappropriate public behavior caused by the aggravating circumstances of alcohol intoxication" PBA Commissioner Chito Salud enjoined PBA teams to assume responsibility for checking on their imports' background before bringing them in.

Salud invited Sharpe to his PBA office on Wednesday morning after his services were terminated by GlobalPort following a photo that circulated on social media sites showing Sharpe sleeping on the pavement in front of a row of bars early Monday morning.

Team owner Mikee Romero immediately terminated Sharpe's contract pointing out, “Any player, whether a local or an import should be a good role model for the Filipinos and most especially our youth.”

The Batang Pier team owner, who was special guest at the Philippine Sportswriters Annual Awards dinner on Saturday, said, “Walter Sharpe, who has a live contract, should have been more responsible for his actions. Based on what I saw, I recommended last night to the management and coaching staff of our team to terminate Sharpe’s services effective immediately for conduct unbecoming of a professional basketball player.”

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Sharpe did well in his opening game against Air 21 after he replaced Justin Williams and scored 24 points but he was held to just two points against league leaders Alaska in his second game.

After emerging from the closed-door meeting Sharpe said the conference "went well" and that he "explained what happened and my remorse for the situation."

Sharpe claimed he suffers from narcolepsy which is defined as “a chronic neurological disorder caused by the brain’s inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally. People with narcolepsy often experience disturbed nocturnal sleep and an abnormal daytime sleep pattern which is often confused with insomnia. “

GlobalPort head coach Junel Baculi said if Sharpe is ill then “he needs to be treated” but at the same time indicated they cannot retain him because “it’s bad for us all.”

Sharpe said his ailment which is a form of sleeping sickness was a problem even in his up-and-down college career and that "while there is treatment for it, there's no cure. They give you medication and it might work or maybe not."

However, the import conceded that "you have to make the right decision and I didn't. I didn't have to be out (that night) but I went out by choice."

Sharpe said "it could have been worse, somebody could have been hurt but nobody was hurt." He added, "I'm not saying I'm belittling the situation but I'm going to move forward."

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He said he was grateful that he had "the support of my team and my teammates. I enjoyed my time here. It was cool," even as he exonerated the GlobalPort players, stating "they had nothing to do with the situation that occurred and I need to do the right thing."

Sharpe said it is a setback but "it’s not the end of my career. I apologize for the image this photo gave out. What's happened has happened and I'm sorry."

The talented import who was a revelation in his first game but preferred not to talk about his second game in which he fouled out after scoring a measly two points, said he'll return to his home in Alabama and decide on his next move.

Salud said Sharpe "admitted he committed a grave mistake" but considering that he is young and has a future, he advised him to "stay away from alcohol."

At the same time, the Commissioner made it clear that Sharpe was only fined and "this does not mean he can't return" to play in the PBA.

Sharpe was born in Alabama and played for Parker High School in Birmingham, Alabama. He was later signed by Mississippi State University but was suspended frequently during his freshman season, declared academically ineligible during his sophomore season and eventually fired from the team.

Sharpe moved to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he averaged 14.2 points per game in 12 games before he was declared academically ineligible for the spring semester of the 2007–08 season. However, Blazers coach Mike Davis said that some of Sharpe's problems could be attributed to narcolepsy, for which Sharpe was diagnosed by UAB doctors.

In the 2008 NBA Draft Sharpe was the 32nd overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics but shortly after being drafted, the Sonics traded his rights to the Detroit Pistons.

On July 13, 2009, he was traded along with Arron Afflalo to the Denver Nuggets for a second-round pick in the 2011 NBA Draft but on July 31, 2009, he was traded along with Sonny Weems and cash considerations to the Milwaukee Bucks for Malik Allen before he was waived by the Bucks on October 26, 2009.

Prior to his short-lived stint in the PBA, the 6'9", 27 year old forward suited up for Guangzhou in the Chinese pro league and also saw action in the NBA Developmental League for New Mexico, Santa Cruz and Idaho.

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Addressing PBA teams, Salud said: "I would like to stress that the responsibility of vetting their players falls squarely on the member teams. They have to be more circumspect, they have to be more thorough because it’s not just their reputation that is at stake but the league as well."

In fining Sharpe, Salud said that "as ambassadors of the league and role models to the youth, PBA players, locals and imports alike, are advised to observe proper on court and off-court decorum at all times. May I take this opportunity to remind import players that PBA member teams have engaged their services as professionals both for the purpose of winning games for their ballclubs and representing the values and principles these ballclubs stand for."

Salud went on: “They (imports) are thus expected to always conduct themselves decently and professionally. While this office notes Mr. Sharpe's poor performance in his last game as his explanation for the incident, his conduct caused and aggravated by the factor of inebriations that resulted in his passing out in a public premises is considered inexcusable."

Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this post.