"I gave him a hard slap which looked like a punch... I would do the same thing again" - Adam Smith-Neale has no regrets over past controversy

Back in March 2024, then-PDC Tour Card holder Adam Smith-Neale caused worldwide headlines online, when CCTV footage emerged of him seemingly punching an opponent in the face after losing a match in a local pub tournament.

As you might expect, whilst the incident didn't take place in a PDC event, Smith-Neale didn't escape punishment. The Darts Regulation Authority (DRA) handed Smith-Neale an eight-month suspension for misconduct, forcing him to miss much of the 2024 season, ultimately resulting in the Englishman falling off the PDC Pro Tour at the end of the year.

Seven months into life off the Pro Tour and ahead of his imminent return to action at the MODUS Super Series, Smith-Neale has now detailed exactly what transpired that fateful day in the pub, insisting in conversation with Darts World Magazine that he has no regrets about his actions.

“It was on a Saturday afternoon in a local near where I live in Nuneaton. I was in the semi-final of this tournament and playing a lad …. who is just a couple of years older than me," begins Smith-Neale's recollection to Darts World. “There was a bit of needle and he made threats towards me which plenty of people heard. Then my mum got involved and he had a go back at her, making threats also. It was kind of decided between us that we would sort things out after the match."

As we all now know however, that's not exactly how things transpired after game-shot was called. "As he threw the winning dart and walked to retrieve it from the board, he made a derogatory comment under his breath – well, it was loud enough to clearly hear," Smith-Neale explains. "So when he turned round, I gave him a kind of hard slap which I guess looked like a punch on the video footage.”

Very soon after, Smith-Neale's life and career was turned upside down. “They told me I was suspended pending an investigation for bringing the game into disrepute," he recalls of the immediate DRA response. “I knew a few weeks before it went public. They gave me eight months, which was actually quite clever – it still meant I could attend the World Championship qualifiers and Q-School the following January if needed.”

When giving a chance to repent for his actions however, Smith-Neale stands his ground and insists that if he had the chance to do it all over, he wouldn't change a thing. “If someone threatens my family, I would do the same thing again,” he firmly states.

And whilst a return to action at the MODUS Super Series is looming, Smith-Neale still holds hope of a future in the ranks of the PDC. “I’ve just become a father for the first time. His name is Freddie and he was born in January, so I’m spending a lot of time learning about fatherhood," he concludes, hinting at a change in mentality. "I’ll be looking to go to Q-School next January and would love to get back on tour. That’s the plan.”