Point guard Forthsky Padrigao is leaving Ateneo de Manila University, shortly after he was declared ineligible for the upcoming UAAP season due to academic deficiencies.
In an Instagram post, Padrigao announced that he has “to say farewell” to the school.
Without going into details, Padrigao said that he “made both right and wrong decisions” during his stay in the Ateneo.
“The past several months have been very difficult, and I fully acknowledge that this is because of mistakes that I made before when I was still in high school, which haunt me to the day. I want to express my deepest apologies because, even if I never intended to and I never physically hurt anyone, I have come to realize the gravity of my irresponsible words and actions and the pain they caused others,” he said.
Padrigao played a crucial role in Ateneo’s run to the UAAP Season 85 championship, making the Mythical Team and averaging 11.6 points, 4.2 boards, 4.9 assists, and 2.2 steals per game.
He revealed on his social media post that he has been the subject of “malicious” stories in the past months that have made it difficult for him to focus on his academic and athletic responsibilities.
“That’s why attending classes has been getting harder and harder for me, and now even if I want to represent my university as an athlete, I can’t anymore,” Padrigao said.
“My mother, who has always been by my side, had to return to Zamboanga because of the pressure. She doesn’t deserve to suffer like this. My lapses don’t reflect the values that my parents taught me,” he added.
Padrigao expressed his gratitude to Ateneo “for giving me a chance to study in my dream school,” as well as to his coaches, teammates, classmates, and teachers and those in the community.
“I had the greatest chance to be a basketball champion here; I am learning now it takes much more to win at living,” he said.
The point guard did not say where he plans to study or play next, instead admitting that he is “making this decision because I want to take responsibility for my past and for my future.”
“There is a lot I have to learn to redeem myself… I hope those I’ve hurt will heal. I hope somehow in this journey I’ll make my parents proud again,” Padrigao said.
“If I were given the ultimate kindness of a second chance, I know I would have to work harder than any basketball training I’ve undergone before. But it will be better. Let me be better,” he added.
Just last week, Ateneo announced that Padrigao would miss UAAP Season 86 because he did not meet the university’s academic requirements for 2022-2023. (ABS-CBN News)