Fry taking break after drunken incident
GOLD MEDAL CURLER
W I N N I P E G • Olympic gold medallist Ryan Fry is taking an indefinite leave from curling in the wake of a drunken and disruptive appearance at a bonspiel in Red Deer last weekend.
The 40-year-old Fry, originally from Winnipeg but now living in Calgary, issued a statement via Twitter on Wednesday, saying he’s determined to make amends for the incident that got his team tossed from the event.
“It has made me take a hard look in the mirror to understand what fuelled my unprofessional actions,” Fry wrote. “I am committed to taking every step possible to ensure that this never happens again, and to make amends to those who have been negatively affected.”
Fry, the regular third for Brad Jacobs, who won gold at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, was subbing for a team that showed up drunk for a Saturday afternoon game at the World Curling Tour’s Red Deer Classic.
Fry’s boorish behaviour included swearing and breaking brooms and causing damage to equipment in the locker-room.
His skip for the event, Jamie Koe, the brother of 2018 Olympian Kevin Koe, was so intoxicated he couldn’t even play.
Complaints from fans and opposing players led to organizers turfing the foursome from the bonspiel, with the facility manager calling the whole thing a “gong show” in one report.
The World Curling Tour brass looked into the incident and on Wednesday fined Fry $1,000, which will be donated to the junior curling program in Red Deer.
Gerry Geurts, head of operations for the WCT, says the investigation determined Fry’s teammates, Chris Schille and DJ Kidby, tried to keep the situation under control.
“Ryan Fry’s behaviour, however, was the reason for the team’s dismissal from the event,” Geurts said in a statement.
“Both on the ice resulting in broken brooms, as well as actions in the clubhouse where his behaviour was deemed inappropriate leading to the team being asked to not return.”
Fry released a statement of apology earlier this week, calling his actions “truly disrespectful and embarrassing.”
Jacobs, from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., released his own statement a day after the incident, calling Fry’s conduct unacceptable.
Jacobs’ team, ranked fourth in the world, will likely be without Fry for next month’s Canada Cup in Estevan, Sask., and possibly the Grand Slam National in Newfoundland.