Rob and Stone break down the apology issued from Catherine Parenteau on Instagram. Is it sincere? And does it change anything? Tune into this bonus episode of It Feels Right.

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Transcript

Adam Stone  0:00
Ah Hello, Robert.

Rob  0:04
Hello, Adam. This is an emergency pod but it's a bonus pod maybe?

Adam Stone  0:10
Yeah, well, bonus or emergency. We've had a lot of these lately. Seems like so it can make it right. We can't make it a whole week in between pods. We got to squeeze one in in between with all kinds of crazy stuff happening.

Rob  0:26
And if you're not squeezing one end, you got to be squeezed one out.

Adam Stone  0:30
Facts Wow, you press the button for that. That's normally pregame, pregame talk. Fun for that big man. All righty. All right.

Rob  0:43
It's early over here. I don't I haven't even had my first sip of coffee. This is my first sip of coffee, which is that that's not a good thing. That's not a good

Adam Stone  0:49
thing. That's That's commitment, though. That's commitment. I can't believe that you're not caffeinated at this moment.

Rob  0:56
I mean, I literally roll out of bed right now. Yeah. And

Adam Stone  1:01
I blew it. I blew some leaves earlier. That's about all I've done. There's a lot of leaves. There's a lot of leaves in North Carolina apparently I might not about who might not have bought this house if I would have known how many leaves I have to deal with but it's okay.

Rob  1:17
pile and we'll get through them. pile them up and jump in.

Adam Stone  1:20
Running. There's our there's a there's a lot of varmints and critters around here. I don't I don't want to do anything. Like there's these big millipedes and centipedes and stuff. It's very, it's it's lots of spiders. It's very, very worrisome. But it's okay.

Rob  1:36
It's it's but you have a compound.

Adam Stone  1:39
I do the beginnings of a compound. But anyway, Robert, I was I was ready to be done with this topic. But we seems we haven't we have an apology. We have some extra information. And we really need to give the people what they want. Because, you know, it's what man we're creeping up on. Almost a week, four or five days since this thing has started. And it's still I wouldn't say it's wildfire like it was this weekend, but it's still there for sure. So, yeah. Very, very divisive, divisive topic, and, you know, the you won't know that.

Rob  2:15
Sorry, continue. Sorry.

Adam Stone  2:17
No, no, please.

Rob  2:18
No, I was going to ask Do you want me to read the apology? That was that was put out by? That was put up by Katina?

Adam Stone  2:27
Yeah, go ahead.

Rob  2:28
Okay. All right. Here we go. I really want to apologize to my sponsors, the fans, but most importantly, publicly to Elise, I am not making any excuses for what occurred. But what at least like everyone to know what was going through my mind at the time this all happened. I decided to play women's doubles and Nationals at the last minute on Wednesday, the day before single started. I reached out to Elise Jones and she agreed to be my partner since she was only playing mixed doubles as well. While I was on the court for mixed doubles match, my manager Athena was contacted by Emily waters asking about my availability due to her mother's injury. The waters family and I had previously discussed Annalee and I partnering together at some point in the future irrelevant doesn't matter. Sorry. I thought playing with Anna Lee at Nationals was a good opportunity to test out this partnership. Who cares? Doesn't matter? Not a good opportunity. You have a partner anyways, okay. My manager checked with the least to see if we could make this change, at least that she understood understood the decision and she did not have any issues we offer to this is a big one, we offer two and paid for at least his travel expenses and helped us secure her and her regular partner Megan, a spot nationals. We assumed that Megan would still be would still be available. So we proceeded with Anna Lee. Making this assumption was wrong on our end. As it turned out, Megan was no longer available and had made plans with her family. I have apologized to at least personally for what me or my team did to make her feel like she didn't have a choice in the matter. It was not until I read her post that I understood that her initial okay of the partner change was not how she really felt after she was able to process things. If we had known she or her team had any issues we would not have proceeded with the switch Words cannot express how truly sorry I am about the disappointment I may have caused my sponsors, my fans and the pickleball community this has been a great learning experience which will help me with my decisions in the future as I continue to play the sport love sincerely Catherine

Adam Stone  4:25
okay

Rob  4:27
I mean there's a lot in there really?

Adam Stone  4:29
Yeah there is there is so I Yeah, there's definitely a couple of things that you know don't don't exactly line up I have a little birdie that told me that what we'll see if the least comments on anything that's happened, but I had a little birdie birdie told me that she was kind of advised after that initial comment or post you made on Instagram that that to not get involved anymore and I don't know any of the details about that whatsoever. It'd be a good decision, a poor decision, whatever but We definitely had a few people tell us that it would be really interesting to know who contacted who I know, we're getting really into details here. But we had a lot of people kind of suggest that, that it was more initiated by Athena than anyone else. And like I said, I was not there for that. But several sources mentioned that. So it's hard, hard to just completely discredit that would actually like to hear who approached you. I think that that's an important important piece of information. Yeah. There's also the fact that, according to at least his post, after everything was decided at the very end of the night is when she asked for reimbursement for her travel expenses. This was made it seemed to be that was part of the deal initially. Yeah, not exactly. Sure. Just going by what Elise Elise is Post said. And also, I mean, at least was very clear in her post that the only way that she was okay with the switch is if she got into the tournament. And Catherine statement says that makes the apology that I'm sorry that if we would have known any of this, you know, we wouldn't let it happen. But according to at least this post, they found out it whatever eight 9:30pm that Megan wasn't going to be available at least asked to, for them to play a limit, Katherine?

Rob  6:26
That was 630, I believe. And that's a big deal. Because, okay, I think it was six 630, she found out that Megan couldn't play because you had family commitments, and let her know that. So then, I mean, there was still time to, for them to play together. Like you didn't, right. That's

Adam Stone  6:44
what yeah, that's that's exactly what I'm saying. Is that? Yes. So so she she's still at least still asked later in the night. Can you guys play a different one, and I can play this one with you. And they were declined after they have all that information that Megan could not play? So that's yeah.

Rob  7:04
That's a that's a that's that's might be the biggest point. Right. Like, yeah, you knew and still decided that you wanted to play with Anna Lee over over Elise.

Adam Stone  7:15
Right. Right. And she said that in her apology, if we would have known this, we never would have made this decision. Well, they didn't know it right when it happened. But they certainly know that note knew and a couple hours later and still proceeded with with playing with Annalise. So I do think that that is a big factor. Also, not you know, this is an incident. And you know, I'm not sure that she for sure needed to mention previous patterns of behavior, but she definitely did not do that. And this apology, to me kind of seems like she was forced into it. It's four or five days later, she's been getting quite a bit of backlash, you would think maybe after some of the initial, you know, first 28 or 24 and 48 hours that she might have come up with something or made a statement, but I think she was her hand was forced at this point. And I'm glad that she made the statement. It was good that she did something but it does the timeline of when she did it does seem like she was kind of forced into that decision.

Rob  8:11
Yeah, and just a couple of percent like it was It started off with, you know, an apology to my sponsors, the fans, most importantly Elise, and then it goes into I always find this funny. I am because it happens a lot. And in these kinds of things, I'm not making any excuses for what occurred, and then comma, but nevertheless, several, and then goes into an entire apology about excuses. And, like all I needed to be said to be honest, like if I'm fine, I'm fine her and if you need to, if you need a PR person, I'm happy to be that person. All you needed was literally the last paragraph, the end Words cannot express how truly sorry I am about the disappointment I may have caused or let's not start with sponsors, let's say I may have caused a lease my sponsors, my fans and the pickleball community. Not that this is this has been a great learning experience. I would have said this has been you know, a pattern I'm not proud of and I'm committed to changing it today. This wasn't the first time but it will be the last time. I appreciate all your support. And I appreciate to moving forward and growing as a person through this. Right? You everybody, everybody, our person, everybody would have been okay, she owns it. Not the great, not the best pattern of behavior, but she owns it. She's apologizing and she's she's committing to moving forward in a different direction done. And then I think it would go it would go away and people don't know back then there's nothing else to talk about at that point. Right. This just gave us a lot more to talk about.

Adam Stone  9:47
Yes, no, no, for sure. I totally agree, especially with some things that you know, not not completely lining up. But really the main thing and these controversies and these situations Like this is I just try to do my best to not speculate only go on facts and large amounts of information and then kind of talk about it from there. So the one of the biggest things for me in this whole situation is that the people with the most information on the subject, the pros, for sure, came out in droves to support Elise initially, and kind of talk about Katherine's pattern of behavior. And then if you look at the apology, which got a ton of positive feedback, it's from her followers and her top fans and you don't see any pros in the mix of the of the apology. So I think that that says a ton about the situations that people that know the most about it jumped on board with supporting everyone that was calling her out. And the people that know the most about it did not do that for the apology. And the people that only have little fractions and pieces of information are the ones that were like, Yay, CPE let's move forward from this. So I think that is the biggest telling piece of info about all of it. Yeah,

Rob  11:11
agreed. And he kind of she kind of threw mean not to say the Annelie won her that golden women's but she pretty much won her that golden women's correct. And, and in this letter, she basically says that. And I She basically says the Anneli and team thing she says Annalee approached her about playing, basically throwing your partner that just want you gold under the bus. And right well, future partner, right. Yeah, your possible future partner, you just tossed her under the bus saying that she was she was approaching you when? I also don't believe that Anna Lee didn't know that she was playing women's doubles. I don't believe that. Oh, I believe I believe Annalee knew that Catherine had a partner.

Adam Stone  12:00
Sure. Yeah. So that's, that's important. I would like to hear more about that. And I have no doubt that we will not hear more about that. So yeah, nor will we

Rob  12:09
talk about that anymore. Yeah. No, because I'm, I'm, I'm done with this conference. I'm

Adam Stone  12:14
done. No, no, no, no. I mean, I think it was important that we came on here and did yeah. Because so many people want want to hear about it or wanted us to but man, yeah, it's, it's, it's wearing on. And it's I think it's about time to be done with it. So those those final statements, I think are, you know, very representative of what we think and and what a lot of the people in the know, think. And unless unless we get some more crazy information about it or something like that. I'm pretty happy with being being done talking about it.

Rob  12:48
Last Last note on it. I think one one net positive from all of it is that I would like if this happens again, with her, I will be very surprised because of the backlash that it received this time. So I think the fact that it was like some people are like, this is none of your business. Why are people talking? Like it's a it's a pro sports, you can drop corners if you want. No, it doesn't make it right. Right. And especially if it's a pattern of behavior, and I think and I think having it be called out like this, like it has been so publicly. I think it will change things. I will be surprised if she does it again. Because she's she sees what's what's going to happen now.

Adam Stone  13:27
Yeah, and, you know, so, all that being said, it's even tougher to figure out if any of this is sincere. She's just forced into it. So yeah, there's definitely a gray area right there. But yeah, no, no, I agree. I had a person or to, you know, kind of kind of comment that my wife was involved, which, you know, kind of makes me biased, obviously. But let's be clear, Rob. I mean, I'm, I'm, I'm a pickleball guy, whether I'm a player, or high end, high end, content creator and influencer commentator, whatever the case may be, this is my community. And if you think I would have you know, had my lips sealed if Kern wasn't involved in this at all, I think you're mistaken by that. Because this, that the sure I have some people that I really love and some people that you know, aren't my favorites throughout all of this, but this is my community. These are my people and I don't like it when those people get pooped on. And that's a big issue for me, and I think that obviously Crane being involved, you know, helped fuel my fire, but I was steamed up whether she was involved or not. And that's that's my final statement. Robert.

Rob  14:42
Got just got the tingly. Thank you, Adam. It's true. That is true. No, it is true. It is true. And yeah, like you this is this is the world. You've lived in Preet for the last how many years? Five years, six years, something like that. I think it's almost six at this point. Yeah. So um, Oh, yeah, and you see, you've seen a lot of stuff go down and built really, really close relationships with people. You know, you got married through this whole experience. You're gonna have a child not like, yeah, no, I think that it's real stuff, right? It's like it's your life. And these are the people that are closest to you. And, and if Adams done anything he's Earth, Adam is anything, anything? If Adam is anything, he's loyal, he's loyal and will have your back. So

Adam Stone  15:27
have all the info, speak on facts, think logically, it's the only way to do it. I know, emotions are tough. But hey, I spent like 15 years of my life with my with my job suppressing my emotions, and trying to make logical decisions. That's what poker is. So I feel like I'm better at it than most and, you know, little emotions mixed in here, obviously. But these are just facts. This is just information. And when you have all the facts, you have all the information. Like I said previously, if if you don't have some issue with it, then I feel for you.

Rob  16:07
What are we covering today? Okay,

Adam Stone  16:08
so let's, yeah, let's transition. We have a PPA Takeya showcase coming up this weekend. And so thinking about maybe doing a little preview, checking out the partnerships