FORMER PBA player Mac Cardona has apologized to ex-Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin following the backlash over his social media post referencing “aqua training” amid the controversy surrounding the deaths of two Ateneo student-athletes.
Cardona posted a message on Tuesday expressing regret over the joke and directly addressing Baldwin.
“I’m so sorry Coach Tab! 🙏 Dapat hindi ako nagbibiro ng ganun. 😢” Cardona wrote.
He added that he would accept whatever judgment people may have of him, while saying he simply wants to move forward and live happily.
“Bahala na kayo kung anong tingin niyo sa akin, basta ako gusto ko lang mabuhay nang masaya ✌️,” he said.
Cardona previously drew criticism after posting a video of himself wading through floodwaters along Gregorio Araneta Avenue while wearing basketball gear.
He captioned the post with a reference to “aqua training,” tagging Baldwin and saying it was “for content only.”
The remark drew backlash because of its connection to the June 8 tragedy in Dipaculao, Aurora, where Ateneo student-athletes Rene Clert “Bobet” Baterbonia and Divine Adili died during an off-campus team-building activity involving a water-related activity reportedly referred to as “aqua training.”
The circumstances surrounding the tragedy remain under investigation.
Cardona’s latest statement comes after sports media personality Ceej Tantengco-Malolos and others publicly criticized the former PBA player for making the reference.
His apology now marks his first public response to the backlash. (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
