Earl Strickland - Controversy

Controversy

Strickland has engaged in back-and-forth colloquies with fans, players, referees, and tournament officials. His 2003 World Pool Championship match with snooker star Steve Davis was particularly notorious. Before the match, Strickland had given a particularly charged interview with a Sky Sports reporter, in which he complained that fans had been disrespectful to him (booing when his name had been broadcast over the PA), and that the event "Revolves around Davis" (the event was organized by Matchroom Sport, which was headed by Davis's manager Barry Hearn, while Sky's coverage had featured Davis heavily to win an audience in the UK). He also appeared upset that Sky Sports had shown numerous replays during the build up to the match of Davis beating him in the previous year's Mosconi Cup, the match which settled the event in favour of Team Europe.

During the match, Strickland entered the arena visibly downbeat, and after beginning the match in a quiet mood, Strickland soon began to engage in heated verbal arguments with fans and then referee Michaela Tabb. TV Microphones caught him using foul language to one member of the crowd, then telling Tabb to "shut up" when she reprimanded him. In response, Davis made use of his entitlement to take a break in the match (Davis admitted later that the timing of this was intentional, leaving Strickland to the mercy of the crowd). During the gap, Strickland put his fingers in his ears to block out the crowd's support for Davis, to the derision of the crowd, who mocked the gesture, and cheered loudly for Davis whenever Strickland took his fingers out. Late in the match, he responded to Davis' missing of an easy shot by sharply leaping out of his chair, fists aloft, shouting to the crowd "Yeah! He dogged it!". When Davis took a second break, Strickland loudly complained that players were only entitled to a single break, telling the crowd "He's Steve Davis, he can do what he likes", another reference to his belief that Davis's status at Matchroom Sport afforded him special treatment.

Strickland's tirade against Davis, the crowd, and the rules of the event, continued through the main part of a post-match interview, before visibly calming and apologizing for his behaviour. After admitting regret over his reactions during the encounter with Davis, Strickland entered the arena for his next match carrying a bunch of flowers which he gave to Tabb by way of an apology, and proceeded to play in a much calmer manner for the remainder of the event. Davis would go on to liken his match with Strickland to his 1980s snooker matches against Alex Higgins, another player noted for his combination of impressive play and enigmatic behaviour.

During the 2006 Mosconi Cup, which took place at Rotterdam, Netherlands, December 7–10, 2006, the audience was loud, cheering and blowing horns when rooting for Team Europe. During a match with Nick van den Berg, someone shouted from the audience for Team USA Member Strickland to "shut up" since he had continued talking while opponents were taking their shots. The noise was so intense that Referee Michaela Tabb warned spectators they could be thrown out of the arena if they persisted. During Strickland's match with Team Europe Member Thomas Engert, he broke his own cue out of frustration by smashing it against the floor after a failed shot attempt. Strickland, however, replaced the broken shaft and went on to win the match 7-4.

One year later, the 2007 Mosconi Cup in Las Vegas saw Strickland complain strongly about the misbehaviour of European players and fans, reaching its peak in a particularly bad-tempered clash between himself and reigning world champion Daryl Peach, which saw referee (again Michaela Tabb) separating the two amid fears the animosity might turn violent. Whereas most matches in the event were followed by live TV interviews with both players, Strickland refused to participate, while the normally mild-mannered Englishman stated "Strickland is the scum of the Earth, everyone knows that". Given the opportunity to retract the statement moments later by the concerned interviewer, Peach declined.

One year later, with the Mosconi Cup being played in Portomaso, Strickland's open night match again saw him repeatedly argue with European fans in the crowd, and also repeatedly comment aloud that the table was playing too easily. In a post match interview, Strickland stated that it was bad for the sport if the public sees top players in a high profile event using a table that was clearly playing more easily than a standard club table. When the crowd gave a mixed reaction to his comments, he turned to the spectators and attempted to rally them by calling "Do you want to see us have an easy time out here? Or do you want to see these guys shit on themselves?". Presenter Andy Goldstein immediately apologised to viewers, an action that prompted Strickland to further argue that such language is acceptable, citing Tiger Woods as a fellow sportsman who has used such language on TV without being challenged.

Asked about the possibility of banning Strickland from future events for his behaviour, Matchroom Sports founder Barry Hearn stated he would always want Strickland to participate in the firm's events, since his presence "guarantees drama and unpredictability". Strickland though would be dropped by the USA team for the 2009 Mosconi Cup, and has not appeared since.