Earl is a nice guy off the table. Earl is the guy that everyone loves to hate and his matches always get crowded because everyone is dying to see Earl play and mostly to see him have a break down. I love to watch him play because he is a great player but I don't like to see him give up such as he did at the Open.
In reading what happened during the IPT on AZB's home page, I hope that Earl doesn't lose his IPT card.
Earl Strickland engendered controversy during his second-round, televised match with Nick Van den Berg of Holland. Strickland made several comments to Van den Berg's family members who were in the audience, and things escalated from there. In an interview later, Van den Berg called Strickland "a disgrace to the sport," while Strickland was unrepentant, saying, "I know I'm a terrible person, but you still have to show me some kind of respect." IPT Tour Director Deno Andrews is investigating the situation. Behavior that is deemed unsportsmanlike conduct can result in a suspension or loss of a Tour Card.