The massive boulder that blocks Ateneo de Manila’s path to Season 89 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) has been finally removed.

In a decision that was met with mixed reactions, the UAAP decided to issue the green light to the Blue Eagles to compete in Season 89 men’s basketball tournament following the deaths of student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili in a team-building activity on 8 June in Dipaculao, Aurora.

While the Blue Eagles can play, the board of managing directors barred their head coach, Tab Baldwin, from perpetually participating in any UAAP activity. The sanction is final and unappealable, which means that Baldwin can no longer step on any UAAP floor for the rest of his life.

On the other hand, personalities who had a minor role in the incident like team manager Epok Quimpo, assistant coaches Dean Castaño, Sandro Soriano, Reynaldo Jacinto Jr., Hernan Domingo, Caesar Elumba and Grant Dearns, and physical therapist John Rueca were suspended indefinitely. Unlike Baldwin, however, their penalty is still subject to appeal.

Well, let’s admit it: the league’s decision on arguably the most high-profile collegiate basketball program in the country is definitely unpopular, especially to the fans of Baterbonia in Davao and Agusan del Sur. But no matter how controversial it was, I believe that it was the correct call. Justice was served.

First, the remaining Blue Eagles had zero culpability in the deaths of Baterbonia and Adili. Thorough investigations by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the National Bureau of Investigation yielded no trace of wrongdoing by the players.

Like the grieving families of Baterbonia and Adili, these Blue Eagles have also lost their dear friends and teammates. They were also grieving. They were also victims in the negligence of their foreign mentor, who put their lives at risk by presiding over a poorly-planned, poorly-coordinated team activity outside Metro Manila.

If it wasn’t Baterbonia or Adili, it could have been other Blue Eagles like Kieffer Alas, Sam Reyes, Jared Bahay or Shawn Tuano who could have died in the treacherous waters of Aurora. Fortunately for them, they averted the tragedy, so why should they be blamed for an incident they have no knowledge of and where their lives were also put at risk? It doesn’t make sense.

Second, basketball is the only escape for these Blue Eagles. They have trained long and hard just to get to where they are right now. If the UAAP will bar them from competing in Season 89, it’s going to be a great injustice as they also lost two friends in a tragedy none of them wanted. To bar them from competing is like taking away their only sanctuary — basketball.

Basketball is the only thing that could heal these Blue Eagles. By allowing them to see action in Season 89, the league is giving them a chance to honor their fallen teammates by making a strong run to the title. It’s surely going to be one of Philippine sports' feel-good stories if these Blue Eagles will win the UAAP crown after losing two of their teammates in a tragic off-season event.

Critics have been comparing Ateneo’s case to that of De La Salle University, which was suspended in Season 69 for unwittingly fielding two ineligible players. If the Green Archers were suspended for one season, why not do the same to the Blue Eagles, whose case is far more severe as it led to the deaths of their teammates?

But for me, their cases are like comparing apples and oranges. Ateneo’s case was a tragedy. Nobody wanted it. If there’s somebody who should be severely punished, it should be the person who planned and organized the ill-fated activity and, in this case, Baldwin — not the entire program.

The Blue Eagles will definitely be greeted with a chorus of boos the moment they step on the UAAP floor on 12 September. But they must tune out the noise. At this point, the most important thing for them is to fly high not just for themselves, but for the memories of their departed teammates.

I’m sure Baterbonia and Adili will be smiling from above the moment these Blue Eagles emerge as Season 89 champions.