DJ Young Fined for Paddle Throw
| July 11, 2023
The PPA Tour announced following the Vulcan Indoor National Championships that Darrian (DJ) Young had been fined for his errant paddle throw that bounced off the ground and ricocheted into seated fans courtside on Saturday, February 25th.
The event took place after the final point of the men’s doubles semifinal between DJ Young/Jay Devilliers and Pablo Tellez/Federico Staksrud.
Young immediately checked on fans who were near the paddle’s trajectory and gave the following statement after the event:
“I want to apologize to all the people who were affected by this. There are a lot of emotions going out there when you’re playing pickleball professionally. There are no excuses, but I’ll be better. Again, sorry to everyone.”
No fans were injured during the incident.
A representative at the PPA Tour responded to the event saying:
“We understand that playing professional sports and caring about match outcomes brings a great deal of emotion and passion with it. While the PPA is supportive of the process of self-expression on-court, we cannot tolerate any behaviors that put the safety of others in danger.”
DJ Young’s full statement regarding the incident can be found here.
