Amidst all the controversy and speculation, Ricci Rivero has finally addressed the issues surrounding him.
In a heartfelt post on his Twitter account @RicciRivero06 on Wednesday morning, the La Salle forward shared what he has gone through in the past several weeks.
"10 years ago I remember playing my very first basketball game, and all I had then was just a simple hobby," he began in his tweet.
Last February, Ricci, along with older brother Prince and teammate Brent Paraiso asked for a leave of absence from the team, stating that the new policy prohibiting players from entering into sponsorship agreements with commercial entities, came into conflict.
In his post on Monday, the younger Rivero pointed out that his existing sponsorship deals never became a hindrance to his commitment to playing basketball.
"For the record, I never missed out on any class, practice or game just because I have an engagement to attend," he said. "I never had an event a day prior to any important basketball schedule. My scope of work were limited to social media postings - selfies, interviews, and pictorials - no video shoot that will require extreme physical activities as due diligence of avoiding any injuries. With these limited scope of engagement - my top priority and focus remains with playing basketball."
He went on to stress that him choosing to continue his sponsorship engagements were not because of greed or anything else but to simply honor those agreements.
The 19-year-old then addressed the issues on social media of him allegedly using drugs and acceptance of money.
"I remained mum about it not until I saw the need to speak up now and defend ourselves once and for all," he opened up.
In his post, he also attached a picture of a drug test result from Omega Laboratories using his hair follicle. According to Rivero, he took the drug test last January 20, covering 90 days, to ensure that the results won't be manipulated in any way. The attached test results revealed that Rivero is negative from using any drugs.
"I am NEGATIVE to all types of substance contrary to initial report that I was tested positive for drugs," he adamantly stated. "For the record - I never took drugs and will never try it. As for the lewd rumor - please do not disrespect the hard work of my parents to provide for me and my siblings."
Its been a while, once and for all allow me to open my heart to answer your questions. May God bless us all. Thank You po. pic.twitter.com/2ykpNZzLQA
— Ricci Rivero (@RicciRivero06) March 7, 2018
After shutting down the rumors of his alleged drug use, it seems that the third-year standout will continue his leave of absence with La Salle basketball.
"To the La Salle management and bosses, to the past and current coaching staff - allow me to thank you all for taking care me all these years," he shared. "To the La Salle community and alumni - rest assured that my utmost respect and gratitude will always be here for all of you. I will always have that ANIMO spirit you all taught me."
Back in February during his first practice with Gilas Pilipinas, he dismissed transfer rumors and he insisted that he was still enrolled with the school.
"Behind this hype, behind these controversies - is the same kid 10 years ago who simply wants to play and shoot that ball," he closed. "Thank you for your support and God Bless us all."
ESPN5's JC Ansis contributed to this report.