Pro player Parris Todd fined $50K, suspended for 2 events for participating in Japan event

Alex Lantz

Director of Content

Last Edited

Dec 31 2025

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News

Pro player Parris Todd has received a $50,000 fine and will be suspended for two events in 2026 for participating in an event in Japan recently without proper approval from the United Pickleball Association.

The suspension will include one PPA Tour event and one Major League Pickleball event, according to league officials.

Three other players -- James Ignatowich, Ryan Fu and Vivian Glozman -- had their contracts terminated earlier this month for participating in the same event, but the league said Todd's case was slightly different because she had initially reached out for permission, but with "incomplete context." She was a late addition to the trip and filling in for another player who couldn't make it.

Ignatowich, Fu and Glozman also claim they requested and were granted permission to participate in the clinics/exhibition, and have filed an appeal challenging their contract terminations.

The players say they have the support of the World Pickleball Players' Association, a group formed earlier this year that has pushed for increased transparency and a more consistent approach to contract disputes. The WPPA board includes several big-name pros, including Tina Pisnik, Dekel Bar, Jessie Irvine, Collin Johns, Jay Devilliers, Gabe Tardio and Donald Young.

"This has been an unsettling experience for all of us," Ignatowich, Fu and Glozman said in their statement. "We acted in good faith and sought and received approval from the league-appointed Players Council, even though no approval was required. Still, our intentions and integrity were questioned, and we were publicly terminated. We hope the league uses this moment to provide clearer guidance and a fairer, more consistent process for everyone moving forward.”

The UPA (the governing body of the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball) said in a written response to The Kitchen "(We have) received an appeal and will take the appropriate next steps to evaluate."

The organization said when it announced the decision to terminate the contracts of Ignatowich, Fu and Glozman that its contracts with the players are confidential, "however, participating in competitor events is a black-and-white violation of UPA agreements."

The event in question involved several days of clinics and pro exhibition matches organized by the Pickleball Japan Federation in Tokyo’s Ariake Tennis Park. The players were advertised as "PPA Top Pros" in signage and messaging to participants, and the event ended up being different from what UPA officials were told about, according to the organization.

There also was a tournament with more than 1,000 registered players attached to the clinics, and paddle company RPM was a sponsor of the events. RPM is a brand co-founded by Ignatowich earlier this year that also has Fu on its roster of pro players.

In a statement to Pickleball.com earlier this month, PPA Tour CEO Connor Pardoe explained the decision to terminate the contracts of Ignatowich, Fu and Glozman.

“The advertising for these events prominently featured their statuses as top MLP and PPA players and champions, explicitly using the reputation and likeness we pay for to promote a direct competitor,” Pardoe said. “This is not a gray area and is a clear breach of their contracts.”

Former PPA Tour and MLP player Quang Duong had his contract terminated for a similar violation earlier this year in Vietnam.

The terminations, if upheld, will effectively end the playing careers of Ignatowich and Fu on the PPA Tour. Glozman only participated in three PPA Tour events this year -- all in the spring -- as her contract was essentially exclusive to MLP.

The loss of Glozman and Ignatowich will leave the Chicago Slice with two roster spots to fill. The SoCal Hard Eights will also have to add a player to replace Fu for the 2026 season.

Ignatowich will continue serving as CEO and lead engineer of RPM, which currently has two models on the UPA-A Approved Paddles List. Those paddles will remain approved for pro play.

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