Dear Fellow Pro Players & Supporters,
Even though it has already been publicly released awhile ago, this is a reminder and also a thank you to all those who supported the professional players in the ABP in its quest to grow the integrity of the sport of billiards and provide a safer, improved environment at tournaments.
Because of the united stance of the professional membership, we were able to voice our concerns and improve on policies at the US Open 9-Ball Championship which was successfully negotiated by our ABP attorney representative Dennis Walsh. The BCA also assisted us in this evolution to improve. It is a short term solution for the event due to the limited time we had to resolve it, but the ABP will work to make things better and more secure in the near future.
Thank you to Barry Behrman and Shannon Behrman for working with the ABP and understanding the needs of the pro players.
We encourage all players worldwide to participate in the 2011 US Open 9-Ball Championship October 16-22. Please visit http://www.usopen9ballchampionships.com/ for more info.
The ABP has been listening to its membership and it will continue to address worldwide concerns and improve on matters for all its international members here in the USA and eventually abroad.
Thank you,
The Association of Billiard Professionals
http://www.abp-players.com
Below is the official news release from the ABP
From the Law Offices of Dennis M. Walsh, ABP General Counsel
ABP Pro Players Attending the 2011 US Open 9-Ball Championship
As everyone knows, the boycott of the US Open was lifted earlier this month after many days of negotiation between Barry Behrman, Shannon Behrman Paschall and representatives of the Association of Billiards Professionals. The ABP was going to issue a press release shortly after Barry’s but after looking at Barry’s release and the subsequent release of the actual agreement itself, The ABP did not see a need to issue yet another press release reiterating the agreement and the negotiations. In retrospect, this may have been an error and the ABP apologizes for not having released its own statement as to the ending of the boycott.
The ABP would like to take this opportunity to thank both Barry and Shannon for the civility and professionalism that they both showed throughout the process. The players regretted having to take the dispute as far as they did, but as Barry noted in his press release, the player’s needs were justified. After several years of late payments, they were again trying to get Barry to make sure the funds would be in place so that the players would be paid as promised. Until such time as the boycott was brought up, the ABP could not get an adequate response to their concerns. Because of the steps that were taken by the ABP, Barry and Shannon took a closer look at their operation, and, as they said in their press release, decided to restructure their methods of receiving payments in an effort to protect all parties.
Since Barry and Shannon have restructured their business model, we feel confident that the problems of the past are behind us and that moving forward, we can all expect greater things from Barry and Shannon in cooperation with the ABP.
We would also like to thank the BCA for their part in helping the parties come together and offering a workable solution. Rob Johnson was especially helpful in working with the parties, the banks, and the accountants in an effort to come up with an arrangement palatable to both sides. In the end, it became clear that the ABP could not get the 100% guarantee that they wanted but the agreement that was signed by the parties, parts of which are administered by the BCA , was a strong step in the right direction. The players have confidence that Barry and Shannon will pay as agreed and on time.
The APB would also like to thank others behind the scenes who offered suggestions to both parties, including Ivan Lee of the BCA, Jerry Forsyth of AZBilliards, Mike Panozzo of Billiards Digest, Pat Fleming of Accu-Stats and BCA Hall of Famer, Danny Diliberto. The players deeply regret the temporary uncertainty that their actions caused in the Pool World, but feel that making sure that the players will be paid as promised is something that needed to be done to make pool stronger.
Dennis M. Walsh, C.S.R.P.
Guest, Walsh & Townsend, Ltd.
120 West Madison
Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60602
