By REYNALD MAGALLON
Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao did not mince words and branded Mralco forward Cliff Hodge as the “dirtiest player in the league” — a remark which the Bolts franchise has taken exception to in its own statement a day after the Elasto Painters’ 85-83 win.
The comments of fiery ROS mentor came after Hodge and Elasto Painters star Adrian Nocum figured in a knee-to-knee collision after the former tried to draw an offensive foul on the latter’s attack at the 4:06 mark of the third quarter.
Nocum was slow to get up and immediately clutched onto his knee after the collision. He, however, managed to return to the game and finish with six points and eight assists, including what turned to be the winning play.
“Medyo kinabahan kami sa nangyari kay Adrian. Again it was Cliff Hodge. Dami ng ganung insidente ni Cliff Hodge. He is the dirtiest player in the league, I think,” said Guiao during the post-game press conference
“Dapat siguro tingnan ng liga ‘yan. He is a danger to the other players in the game. His record speaks for itself,” he added.
Hodge was assessed with an unsportsman-like foul but still that didn’t prevent Guiao from calling the Meralco forward out.
“Sinaksak niya ‘yung paa niya eh. Kaya siya tinawagan ng unsportsmanlike foul. Maraming incidents na ganun na I think cause danger to the players. It’s always been a lot of situations and incidents that Hodge is involved in. Tingin ko it’s a danger to his fellow players,” Guiao furthered.
Hodge had a bad history with ROS since 2014. He once punched then ROS player Raymond Almazan and elbowed Jeff Chan when he was still playing for ROS.
While Hodge simply shrugged the comments off, Guiao’s remarks, however, did not sit well for the Bolts franchise who came into the defense of their veteran player.
Fans also heavily criticized Hodge over an elbow that landed to the face of Kyt Jimenez and resulted in SMB guard’s fracture of the eye socket in 2023.
Hodge was also once suspended for a dangerous tackle on Zavier Lucero in 2025 while he was also called for a Flagrant Foul penalty 2 when his knee hit the face of Mark Barroca in a separate incident this year
Meralco stressed that it holds its coaches, players, and staff to always observe the highest level of professionalism, decorum, and conduct in all their games. The team explained that the incident with Nocum and Hodge was purely incidental and should not be misconstrued as a dirty play.
The team said Guiao’s comments were unfair and uncalled for.
“We therefore take very strong exception to the unfair, unfounded, and unprofessional statement that the head coach of Rain or Shine, Coach Yeng Guiao, uttered in public during his post-game interview against our player, Mr. Cliff Hodge, whom he unjustly maligned in public by calling him ‘the dirtiest player in the PBA,” it said in the statement.
