FORMER San Sebastian College-Recoletos Golden Stags head coach Tony Tan said he was blindsided by the school’s decision to replace him while he was on medical leave, insisting that he never voluntarily stepped down from his post.
Tan said the school informed the team through a letter from its vice president that assistant coach Rodney Santos would temporarily take charge while he was away for medical reasons.
“Yes, I still have the letter. I can prove it that the school sent me a letter from their vice president that was sent to the team. And obviously, they sent it to everybody that coach Rodney was going to be temporarily coaching and be the leader of the team while I’m going on my medical leave,” Tan said in an interview with Abante Sports Now.
According to Tan, however, the school never communicated to him that it was considering making Santos his permanent replacement.
“And other than that, there was no communication with me that what they’re going to make a decision. Basically, I was blindsided, just like in everything else, you know, my experience as a head coach at San Sebastian. You know, everything was decided for me.”
Tan described the lack of communication with the administration as one of the major difficulties he encountered during his tenure.
“You know, it’s a lot of non-communication that goes towards me. And, yeah, so it’s pretty tough to work with somebody or administration that, you know, like with no communication at all,” Tan said.
Tan, who had spent much of his coaching career in North America, joined San Sebastian after being introduced to the school while initially exploring an opportunity coaching an MPBL team.
He said he accepted the position because he wanted to prove that he could develop players and build a collegiate program in the Philippines.
“My expectation is to develop, you know, kids, you know, at that level. It is nothing new for me,” Tan said.
“You know, developing at that age group is because of my experience. I was confident that, you know, I am able to improve the program. You know, of course, it’s going to take some time,” he added.
Tan also said he returned to the Philippines despite having a stable life and business in Canada because he believed he could contribute to the Stags program.
“I took a chance. And knowing that I can make it better.”
The former coach said he remained willing to support the school despite his departure, but wanted the administration and those who allegedly spread rumors about him to address what he described as false claims.
“If I wasn’t there, I would be 100%, be very 100% supportive with sponsorship or anything with the school. But not when they say bad things about me,” Tan said.
Tan said he plans to return to the Philippines despite the controversy surrounding his departure.
“Yes, 100%. I will be back. I will be back,” he said. (Adrian Co)
