Nikko LoCastro intimidating a PDGA official at European Open '22

[edmunder]

The whole point of having a Pro Tour and officials is a great product and excellent disc golf.

Even yelling at a ref when called should get a ban in my opinion. That is not acceptable. Going up to the guys face with that stupid ghetto, low class - "I'm going to fight you!" attitude and trying to scare the official? 9 months is not enough.

I wouldnt accept that behavior from a child and there would be a LOT of work I would be doing to help that kid through all the stupid stuff going on in their head.

Nikko is a grown man, acting like a dumbass child, trying to scare an official at a MAJOR! Serious WTF moment. If he were banned from PDGA for life it would be fine with me.

If you can't behave like a normal person at the highest tournaments, good riddance. Go play leagues somewhere dumbass. Imagine this happening at a PGA event?

Also many professionals are "warned" for time violations, such as Gannon Burr. And often he responds, plays a little faster and makes sure to follow the rules. That is the purpose of warning people and then if they still do it, the next step is give an extra stroke. Thats just how it goes.

This whole event is part of the bad behavior of people slowly becoming OK everywhere. Get that out of here Nikko. Dont let the door hit you on the way out.

 

[davetherocketguy]

I have no idea what it is like to tour at that level, and neither do any of the keyboard warriors on this forum. If Paul says it was unwarranted I will take that as the authority position, and disregard random internet opinions to the contrary.

Just a question of clarification...

So touring "at that level" excuses one from uncivilized and dumbassed behavior?

 

[Jolt]

If the players likes this, just put Nikko and Buhr on an early card and 9holes in we would have a 10 card backup on every hole, let's see how fun Paul think it is to wait 30min on every tee.
But then again, Paul woul probably blame the PDGA or the TD for all a the waiting

 

[foxdawg10]

I haven't seen anyone mention that Nikko probably could have been called for being OB when he threw also. It looked like his back foot could have been on the OB line when he threw. I'd love to see a different camera angle.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Sigh..... because he was going to get called sometime/somewhere.

Likely officials tired of hearing complaints of slow play about the same player, again and again.

All are welcome to delve into the plethora of obscure conspiracy theories, but it simply is not that complicated. He is notorious for violations of the time rule on simple putts. Over and over. He is not a victim, he is a chronic violator.

Starting this post with a sigh was definitely the way to go. It speaks volumes.

 

[joshhyzer]

Suspended?! Doug kick him off the tour!

 

[art_vandelay]

I don't know. I still have not heard a good reason why he had to travel thousands of miles to get a time violation, while performing in an international major no less. Not even a Nikko fan but it's hard to understand the decision to go ahead and do it there and then. Did the Europeans make an announcement that they were sticklers on time and that everyone would be timed strictly? Kikko's behavior is indefensible but I keep wondering if any of this really needed to happen in the way it did.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

I don't know. I still have not heard a good reason why he had to travel thousands of miles to get a time violation, while performing in an international major no less. Not even a Nikko fan but it's hard to understand the decision to go ahead and do it there and then. Did the Europeans make an announcement that they were sticklers on time and that everyone would be timed strictly? Kikko's behavior is indefensible but I keep wondering if any of this really needed to happen in the way it did.

Did it need to happen the way it did? No.


But as Ru4 so articulately said:

Sigh..... because he was going to get called sometime/somewhere.

Likely officials tired of hearing complaints of slow play about the same player, again and again.

All are welcome to delve into the plethora of obscure conspiracy theories, but it simply is not that complicated. He is notorious for violations of the time rule on simple putts. Over and over. He is not a victim, he is a chronic violator.

It ain't rocket surgery.
I'm not going to berate an official for doing their job, and doing it pretty professionally from what I saw.

Other than Nikko, I guess my beef would be with the enablers who allowed him to get to that point.

 

[nothinbuttree]

Why is everyone still stuck on the time violation? His suspension had NOTHING to do with time. It had all to do with his REACTION to a call that at most would have cost him one stroke--for which he had already received a warning.

The distance he traveled and the venue do not offset his hellish behavior toward a course official (unpaid AFAIK). And the video does not even show his CONTINUED animosity toward staff after the hole was completed.

No TD or official needs to make an announcement that rules will be enforced. He broke the rules, got caught, got warned, did it again, acted like a wild animal, and got suspended. Not sure why he had to behave that way, regardless of the where...

 

[art_vandelay]

I wish the whole thing did not happen. I'm trying to find a way to that place in my mind.

 

[Hampstead]

It has been mentioned more than a couple times in this thread that players were notified before the round that an emphasis would be placed on pace of play.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

In the plus column, I'd like to thank Nikko for giving us something we can talk about for page after page full of posts.

 

[Nova P]

In the plus column, I'd like to thank Nikko for giving us something we can talk about for page after page full of posts.

The week before his incident, I was the most notorious player in all of disc golf, so it worked out well for me too.

 

[art_vandelay]

Why, what did you do Nova? Do you happen to have Platebee? That would make you truly notorious to the old time board members.

 

[Nova P]

Why, what did you do Nova?

I won FP50 at Masters Worlds while trans.

 

[Orioles_Lefty]

Paul being pro-player and/or having a beef with how the PDGA administers discipline is a far cry from him organizing, believing in, and supporting a legitimate players union. I could be completely wrong on my read, but "organizing" is a great way to improve life for all the players and future generations of players while possibly harming one's own earning ceiling and harming relationships within the industry.

Unions in individual sports have always been a hard sale from the players to the players themselves. And the players would have to be an employee of someone to form a true union and not independent contractors. So, are they going to unionize against the manufacturers??—because the tour does not employ them. That's not the case in pro team sports where "the league" is the collection of team owners.

 

[art_vandelay]

I won FP50 at Masters Worlds while trans.

Now that took balls to do that!

 

[peabody]

Umm. I am confused. Inappropriate? Jest? Sarcasm?
I'll never get this generation's nuances.

 

[Nova P]

Now that took balls to do that!

I also juggle. I hear so many ball jokes.

 

[art_vandelay]

Sorry about that, too obvious of a comment on my part. Live and let live is my motto.