Clarifying Dustin Shaw''s situation re: 10th Planet
There has been some misinformation going around about Dustin's status with respect to 10th Planet so this message is to clarify things to those living in LA:
Dustin is out of 10th Planet. He is banned and not part of our team.
Eddie made it very clear to him ahead of time that opening his gym in his location would make him competition to 10th Planet and that he would be out of the team. No big deal, but he did it anyway.
I've heard from a number of people that Dustin claims that it did not go down like that. He continues to perpetuate a story that somehow attempts to make him a victim of circumstances, making vague comments about Eddie changing his mind or that he is consistently asked to rejoin the team - that is all completely untrue and the purpose of the stories are so Dustin can make ppl think it's all some misunderstanding and that it's cool to come and train at his gym. As Dustin was a friend of mine, I could go further and detail how underhanded he was during his start up process and how he was at the same time making negative comments about 10th planet online, but at this point, I won't publicly embarrass him on this forum (ask me personally at HQ if you want to know details).
As you may realize, unlike most traditional jiu-jitsu schools, Eddie does not have any problem with our guys training and visiting other schools. In fact, this open minded approach is part of the philosophy of keeping this team and system ever evolving. People who know Eddie well, realize that he values loyalty, although is not the type of guy to hold a grudge - and that's a good way to live. If you want to train with someone who has deliberately went against Eddie, go for it - Eddie will not worry about it or treat you any differently.
Personally, I wouldn't train with someone like that. Loyalty is important and, in my opinion, is one of the things that makes our team so tight.
In the end, do what you want, but at least you have the official information now.:)
