The ongoing dispute between Craig Jones and Gordon Ryan has escalated significantly, with Jones releasing what he claims are text message exchanges that contradict Ryan’s recent denials about John Danaher‘s involvement in the Izaak Michell case.
Hours after Ryan publicly refuted Jones’s allegations on Instagram, Jones posted screenshots of messages he says demonstrate that both Danaher and Ryan informed Michell about the investigation while he was outside the United States.
Michell currently faces charges in Texas related to accusations made by Hannah Griffiths, another Kingsway member, and remains at large in Australia.
The first screenshot shows an exchange Jones identifies as being with Danaher. In the message.
According to the text, Danaher responded by explaining his actions:
“He was immediately told by me when the initial complaint was made that he is no longer a member of our gym and that our friendship was over. This was done to prevent him returning and trying to confront the vic tim. He was overseas at the time so that was the only way to communicate.”
Danaher’s message continued:
“Subsequently even more serious allegations have been made against him from a time prior to him coming back to training with us (from the time he was training with you? We aren’t sure yet). What he is doing now I have no idea. My main concern is to protect the vic tim and make sure he never returns to Kingsway to confront her. His apprehension will be the job of the police and US Marshals.”
Jones highlighted one particular phrase in his post, “He was told while overseas,” suggesting this constitutes advance warning about law enforcement action.
A second screenshot, apparently from an exchange with Ryan, adds more context. The message reads:
“The statement is very vague and has been vetted legally, yes. It will essentially just let everyone know that this is the situation and there is an ongoing investigation. A police report was filed soon after. We immediately informed Michell that he was banned henceforth from Kingsway and that a police report had been filed.”
Jones noted that one portion of this message had been redacted, pointing to this as evidence of the alleged tip-off. His final slide in the series included a dictionary definition:
‘Tip-off’: Advance warning given to someone about law enforcement action or investigation.”
This stands in sharp contrast to Ryan’s earlier Instagram story response, where he dismissed Jones’s claims as fabricated and stated that Michell “contacted and even wanted to talk with authorities before all decisions.”
Speaking on the Overdogs USA podcast, Ryan reflected on how cultural influences may shape behavior inside the sport.
“I do feel like, in jiu-jitsu, there is, this is going to be so controversial, but I do feel like there is just a culture within jiu-jitsu where, you know, for, like, in Brazil, for example, I think the legal age is a lot lower, Ryan said on the Overdogs USA podcast. So I think that be because the the culture is dominated so much so heavily by Brazilian culture that it it kind of became more normalized in our sport than it otherwise would have in other sports because it is just built into the culture uh in Brazil.”
Ryan was clear that cultural differences do not excuse inappropriate behavior in America, particularly in situations involving long-term student instructor relationships.
“I think it’s way worse if you’re, like, teaching a girl from, like, the age of eight and then you, like, you know, start, like, ********* her when she’s older. Uh, that’s, like, totally unacceptable in, in my, in my opinion.”
The release of these text messages by Jones represents a significant development in what has become an increasingly public feud, now centered on questions of responsibility and transparency.
