Darts star storms out of press conference bemoaning 'lack of respect' after win
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Joe Cullen has never enjoyed any luck at Alexandra Palace, falling the wrong side of the line in a string of gripping finishes. And he famously missed the most expensive dart in history, worth £150,000, when he wired double 16 in the 2022 Premier League final against Michael van Gerwen and was left with the £125,000 runners-up cheque instead of the winner’s £275,000 jackpot.
But the ‘Rockstar’ did himself no favours by giving a truculent TV interview and then storming out of his post-match media conference after an impressive 3-0 win against Wessel Nijman. Cullen claimed he had been shown “no respect” because rehabilitated Nijman, who served a two-and-a-half year ban for match-fixing, was shorter odds with the bookies to win the PDC World Championship.
The fact is that Cullen, 35, has slipped to No.24 in the world rankings because he has had a poor year on stage, but he was in a fiery mood after a brilliant performance. He said: “I tell you what. Honestly, the media attention that Wessel’s got - this is not a reflection on him because he seems like a fantastic kid and he got caught up in a few things beforehand, he’s served his time and held his hands up, (where) a lot haven’t.
“But I think the way I’ve been treated probably with the media… I know that you guys have no control of the bookies. I’ve been shown no respect, I won’t show respect to any of you guys tonight, I’m going to go home.”. And with that, the ‘Rockstar’ lived up to his nickname and marched out. Earlier, Sky Sports interviewer Abi Davies was given similarly short shrift after she suggested he could be proud of his display.
