In a letter sent to UAAP President Fr. Max Rendon of Adamson University dated Jan. 23 but made public only yesterday, La Salle President Br. Armin Lustre specified that La Salle is taking a leave only in men’s basketball saying that only in this sport do "we need to effect changes."

The UAAP was rocked to its foundation last August when La Salle admitted that it had fielded two ineligible students to play for the Green Archers in the UAAP basketball tournament. The two had played together in the 2003 season during which La Salle won the UAAP championship, while one continued to play until 2005 when La Salle was runnerup to Far Eastern University. La Salle has since returned the trophies.

The two players were identified as Tim Gatchalian, who played in 2003, and Mark Benitez, who played from 2003-2005. Both players were found to have faked their high school papers that showed they graduated but actually did not.

The decision to take a leave followed what appeared like a deep soul-searching among members of the La Salle community which was divided on how to address the matter. Some sectors called for a total overhaul of the recruitment system as well as the firing of the entire coaching staff, while others tried to minimize the impact of the scandal by saying the blame lies in just two or three people not connected with the university.

It also came while the UAAP is still conducting its own investigation of the scandal, prompting some observers to note that La Salle was preempting the board panel which may decide to shut down the probe and accept La Salle’s self-imposed punishment.

Ateneo sports official Ricky Palou, however, said the UAAP investigation will continue despite La Salle’s decision to leave the league in this year’s 69th edition.

Palou noted that while La Salle inhibited itself from competing in men’s basketball from its 2006-2007 sports program, the UAAP may decide to ban the school from the rest of the sports calendar.

"You must remember that when Adamson fielded an ineligible player, all its sports program was suspended," Palou said.

He, however, said that the final decision on the matter rests on the UAAP board which could ban La Salle for as long as two years because of the gravity of the violation.

The Bulletin tried to interview Fr. Rendon but the Adamson University president was in a meeting and was unavailable.

The prospect of total suspension was not lost on La Salle.

"While we are aware that current policy may not allow member schools to select specific sports from which they would wish to take a leave, we nonetheless feel that this is the best course of action to take in light of the fact that it is only in men’s basketball that we need to effect changes," said Br. Lustre in his letter which was co-signed by Dr. Carmelita Quebengco, La Salle’s executive vice president.

The La Salle letter did not pin the blame on anyone, nor did it admit to having prior knowledge of the recruitment method that enabled non-high school graduates to breach the strict admission standards of the school in order for them to help the university’s cause in the UAAP.

La Salle called this lapse "inadvertent admission of students who do not meet our admission requirements."

The school said it hopes to gain something positive about the decision, which surely has far-reaching implications specially in light of the fact that La Salle, particularly its historic rivalry with Ateneo, has made the league perhaps more popular than the professional PBA.

"(We) feel this is a singular moment of institutional reflection – a teaching moment, if you will – that we would like to take advantage of to communicate to our various stakeholders the true people of sports in the context of the Lasallian holistic education philosophy," the letter said.

The school also hopes that its absence "would allow us to focus on testing the effects of our policy reforms and to impliment additional adjustments."

In closing, the letter seemed to appeal for understanding, if not leniency, should the board finally decide to impose its sanctions.

"We pray that you consider this decision as part of our sincere and continuing efforts to uphold and strengthen the ideals of the UAAP," the letter said.