Not unexpected, but still…
Two weeks ago, the surfer Owen Wright competed in his first contest in a year and a half.
Owen, who is twenty seven years old, suffered a brain injury in Hawaii shortly before the 2015 Pipeline Masters, where he was an outside shot for the world title, and hadn’t surfed a contest until this year’s Newcastle QS6000.
Owen waltzed through his first heat with high sevens, but lost in round three.
And, now, Owen will carry the injury wildcard through the 2017 season.
“Owen Wright is one of the most electric and powerful surfers to ever grace the tour,” Kieren Perrow, WSL Commissioner, said. “Following his injury in December of 2015, the WSL’s priority was Owen’s well-being and, if he were to return to competition, a healthy return to the sport. After assessing his performance and health after a QS event earlier in the season, Owen has accepted the WSL Wildcard for the 2017 season. We’re happy to have him back.”
His little sister Tyler, who is the women’s world champion, and his littler bro Mikey, who is the Quiksilver wildcard, will make it a Wright three-way at Snapper, which begins, waves willing, on March 14.
Has anyone looked into the WSL’s liability exposure with Owen’s situation? do they have a duty of care? When you consider the settlements in the NFL with regards to concussion, could giving OW a wildcard be some form of appeasement?
Someone from heats 3 or 8 is going to win this this thing.
Aren’t all the surfers basically wildcards at this point since there’s no sponsor, no money, no interest…
No blaring “Mick vs. Chas-The-Jew” blood feud headlines yet now that Mick is back on Tour?
We’re assuming that the Ruskies have something on The Mickster and that’s why he’s back, right?
Or did the CIA hack that shark in an attempt to bolster ratings?
So many conspiracies.
That must be the AI wildcard? Good for him.
On another note- after the year Fanning just had, tell me whadafuk he is competing full time this year for???
Is he so desperate for the limelight; so insecure he is desperate to don a jersey and be judged and have the crowd cheer and the speaker blast “you win again Mick 9.75”???
Surfing perfect new waves alone not enough routine for the old machine?? Maybe Mick is the next Thorpe.
Maybe Mick should go to Kelly’s seminar on “how to leave the tour with dignity and grace”.
That would be fucking great.
Lesson 101: passive aggressiveness Lesson 102: hypercriticism
Lesson 103: social justice warriorism and Instagram
Maybe he heard it’s the last year?
Needed to reduce his income for 12 months for Divorce settlement assessment purposes? Now that’s done he’s back to full earning capacity?
Calling it a Wright three-way is a creepy piece of writing. Couldn’t think of something else?
a Wrong three-way?
made me laugh
Mikey should get an injury wildcard for that haircut.
good on ya!