Sumo's biggest star retires due to drunken brawl

Update. I heard this evening from a Japanese friend and sumo fan that the big guy--Asashoryu, I won't attempt it again--cried in his farewell interview with NHK. And, unless both the government and the sumo association reverse fields, he is out for good. Both he and his wife are Mongolian citizens; unlike Takamiyama (Jesse, the first great Hawaiian sumo wrestler) for example, he didn't get Japanese citizenship.

He has left Japan, and if my friend is right, won't be allowed to return except perhaps as a tourist. Starman justice. He's said to be "hiding out" in Hawaii at this time; how a guy that size hides out, I don't know.

Concerning the pay of sumo wrestlers, my friend tells me that their fan clubs contribute extra goodies to them while they are active, but it's true; their salaries don't even compare to Japanese baseball players, for example.

Disclaimer: I'm quite sure about Jesse's Japanese citizenship. The rest is hearsay.

 

He's still ok for the Kumite, right?

 

maybe because it's not. in pass blocking you can back up 10-12 yards as long as you keep the defender in front of you. in sumo you'd lose before you back up that far.

 

If he finds a good plate lunch shop, he'll fit right in.

 

Chiyonofuji, 80's super star, would have made it as defensive tackle. Watch the quickness out of the stance.