Ben and Collin Johns withdrew from Major League Pickleball's second tournament of the season, which was played in Columbus, Ohio, in early May, with four games left for their team, the Carolina Hogs. By now, everyone knows that lighting was the cause. Or rather, the absence of it.

"The levels of light here, by the numbers, are ~1/3 that of professional tennis. There have to be some minimum standards met. I would respect anyone’s choice not play in this," Ben said on X

Ben got in touch with Pardoe the day before the Columbus Major League Pickleball event. The lighting conditions on Championship Court worried him. Due to a long-standing and well-documented medical problem that affects his vision in specific situations, Pardoe expressed that he was comfortable with him leaving the event. While MLP Commissioner Samin Odhwani was in town, Pardoe was not. Samin and Ben were texting each other.

The following day, Thursday afternoon, the Hogs were defeated by the Phoenix Flames. Ben texted Samin on Friday. Ben was holding some kind of light meter when they first met on Championship Court. Ben said he would try to play through the darkness on the court.

Later the morning, the Atlanta Bouncers defeated the Hogs. You have watched the video; Ben and Collin appear to have worked very little. Ben had his hands down by his sides for significant portions of the game. Ben informed Samin after the game that he was leaving the rest of the tournament since the lighting had gotten even worse. He got the all-clear from Samin.

"Some people might say it's preferential treatment for Ben, but I'd like to think we would try to handle the situation the same for everybody," Pardoe told the Dink Pickleball.

"Ben felt uncomfortable. He was unable to locate the ball, he wasn't able to perform to the best of his ability. You want to make sure you give him the benefit of the doubt."

Ben was informed that he could leave MLP Columbus if he thought the lights was dangerous. After playing two games, he concluded that it was. The natural tendency at that time, according to Pardoe, was to accommodate one of the more seasoned players on the tour. More careful attention should have been given to the larger picture, including what it meant for the Hogs, how the fans would respond, and any potential further repercussions.

"I don't think we realized the impact it was going to have on the rest of the event," said Pardoe.

Pardoe claimed that once the decision to withdraw was made, expectations could have been conveyed to the spectators and the Johns brothers themselves more successfully. For instance, the league assumed Ben and Collin would stay in Columbus and cheer for the Hogs, but they were not specifically directed to do so. Instead, the assumption that they should stay on site and support their team was left up for interpretation.

"We were very accommodating to them to pull out of the event. Whether we should have or should not have done that, that's something that we're going to learn from at the league level," said Pardoe.

The withdrawal sparked an immediate uproar on social media. Fans, league officials, and other professionals were furious. How could the best player in the sport abandon his team in the middle of a competition? What is the penalty going to be? Many anticipated a fine, possibly a large one. Perhaps even expulsion from PPA or MLP events. It was a different reality.

"Ben Johns and Collin Johns have agreed to forfeit their event payouts for the four matches in which they did not appear," MLP announced Wednesday.

The Dink found out that those payouts totalled $18,000 for Collin and $60,000 for Ben. They missed the other four events, but they participated in two. Accordingly, Ben Johns earns $15,000 for each MLP match. We now understand why the brothers did not receive a standard fine: the league's commissioner and CEO specifically authorized them to depart if they felt necessary.

Two problems are still unaddressed. Why was Collin allowed to withdraw if Ben was granted permission to do so due to a known medical condition? Pardoe acknowledged that the call was incorrect:

"The thing that we did that was wrong, is that we allowed Collin to pull out. But we allowed it. Let's be clear."

What about the "tanking"? How does a complete lack of effort throughout specific parts of a match add up if safety was the issue? Pardoe made it plain that any perceived "lack of effort" will be handled seriously moving forward, even though he refrained from directly addressing the Johns brothers' effort levels in Columbus.

The Johns brothers have previously been criticized for failing to show up for court.

"If maximum effort is not given, we are going to have the right to fine, suspend and even terminate contracts," Pardoe said.

A note about "lack of effort," which is written in full below, was delivered to all PPA and MLP participants on Wednesday, May 7. Ultimately, Pardoe is concerned about moving forward:

"We're going to continue to grow the professionalism of the sport. And our goal is to get a little bit bigger, a little bit better, a little bit more professional every single week. And you know, we're doing that."

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