After a year full of anti-ASP Twitter outbursts, Bobby Martinez recently announced that the Quiksilver Pro New York would be his final event competing on the ASP World Tour. That much we knew. We didn’t know exactly how sincere he was, though. Until today. At surfing’s first-ever million-dollar contest held in New York City, Martinez used a live interview after winning his heat against Bede Durbidge as an opportunity to express his disdain for surfing’s official governing body, the ASP.
Said Martinez in a post-heat interview with Quiksilver’s Todd Kline (who makes some priceless facial expressions during the course of this exchange):
“First of all, I’d like to say (an the ASP are going to fine me) ‘cuz I don’t want to be a part of this dumb f***ing-wannabe tennis tour. All these pro surfers want to be tennis players. They want to do a halfway cutoff. How the f**k is somebody who’s not even competing against our caliber of surfers ahead of 100 of us on the one world ratings?
They’ve never been here. They’ve never fucking made the right to surf against us, but now we’re ranked upon them. Come on now. Bullshit. That’s why I ain’t going to these stupid contests no more. This is my last one, because FTW, my sponsor, is here and I just tell it like it is. This is my last one, and I don’t like tennis. I don’t like the tour…Who gives a f**k? You know what I mean?
I’ve been here before. I love this city. I’ll tell you right now, if my sponsor wasn’t here, I wouldn’t be here for this dumb contest. ASP? They f***ing…surfing’s going down the drain thanks to these people.”
The ASP responded promptly with the following statement:
Dear Bobby,
We are writing to officially notify you that you have breached Article 151, contained in the 2011 ASP International Rule Book (Rule Book).
Article 151 outlines that all Surfers shall not at any time damage the image of the sport of Surfing and can be found by clicking here.
Article 151 has been breached as a result of the numerous comments you made publicly in an interview on the webcast of the current ASP World Tour Event in New York City….
After careful consideration of these comments and taking into account your multiple offenses of this Article during 2011 that clearly “efface a pattern of unacceptable conduct,” the Rules and Discipline Committee have approved the following action in accordance with Article 147.03 of the Rulebook:
Rule Breach: Article 151 – Damage to Surfing’s Image
Action: You are suspended from the ASP World Tour IMMEDIATELY. You will not take part in the remainder of the World Tour Event currently underway in New York City. A Rules and Discipline Report will be submitted to the ASP Board of Directors to consider expulsion for the remainder of the 2011 Surfing Season. Your suspension will remain in place until such time that the ASP Board of Directors have considered the Report.
Please refer to the ASP Rulebook at the link here for your rights to appeal this decision. Should you wish to have a written submission considered with the Rules and Discipline Report to be considered by the ASP Board of Directors in relation to this incident, please send it to rules@aspworldtour.com before 12 September 2011.
Yours Sincerely,
ASP Rules and Disciplinary Committee
Who says pro surfing isn’t interesting?
