Ricardo dos Santos: staying away from Hawaiian trouble

Ricardo dos Santos has been suspended for three months and fined US$1,500 for the incident with Jamie O'Brien, during the Billabong Pro Tahiti 2013.

The Brazilian surfer won't be able to compete in the Mahalo Surf Eco Festival, a four-star surf contest held in his country. Dos Santos has opted to leave Jamie O'Brien's recent words unanswered.

"When I shook his hand, I gave him my word that the problem ended right then and there. He said the same, only to come out later calling me a coward and what not. But that doesn't really matter to me. That's his choice. I'm at peace with my attitude after the incident", Ricardo dos Santos told our friends at Hardcore Magazine.

Ricardo dos Santos underlines that it was the Hawaiian who started the altercation in Tahitian waters, and believes O'Brien's threats for the Pipeline Masters should be taken seriously.

"It's not up to me to try to change Jamie's mind. He knows what he's doing and what he promotes. He must surely know that if something like that happened, it would reflect badly on him. But I won't take action to avoid anything. I'll be there on the North Shore doing my job", adds dos Santos.

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