Canadian Ryan Fry said on Wednesday he is taking a leave of absence from the team he won a gold medal with at the 2014 Sochi Olympics after recently being kicked out of a competition for alcohol-fuelled bad behaviour.
Fry's announcement comes three days after he and team mates Jamie Koe, Chris Schille and DJ Kidby were ejected from a World Curling Tour event in Alberta after organisers said they were drinking before their game, broke brooms and exhibited unsportsmanlike conduct on the ice.
Canada’s Ryan Fry has taken leave from curling after alcohol-fuelled bad behaviour.Credit:USA Today Sports
"Due to recent events, I have decided to take a leave from Team Jacobs," Fry, who normally plays with Brad Jacobs, E.J. Harnden and Ryan Harnden, said in a statement posted on Twitter.
"As hard as this is, I need to focus my full energy on my growth and self-improvement as this goes beyond last weekend's events.
"I wish the team nothing but success while they compete in my absence. There is no confirmed time for my return, but I am extremely committed to doing everything possible to rebound."
The veteran curler, who was serving as a spare with Koe's rink at the Alberta event, already apologised for his actions and added that he is committed to taking steps to ensure a similar incident never happens again.
Earlier this week, Jacobs issued a statement on behalf of his rink after news of Fry's incident surfaced and said he had called the manager of the club where the incident occurred to find out exactly what had happened.
"We do not in any way support the behaviour that was displayed on and off the ice, it is absolutely unacceptable," the statement read.
"This has been shared with Ryan and we are handling it internally as a team."
Reuters
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