Chris Mason defends Gerwyn Price following landmark DRA ruling

Darts' disciplinary body levied the fine against the Welshman due to his actions at the Grand Slam of Darts in November. Price was instructed to pay a fine of £8,000 due to his conduct in a quarter-final win over Simon Whitlock. A further £12,000 was added as a result of Price's part in a feisty final against Gary Anderson. The DRA fined the Iceman £1,500 for social media comments, and issued a warning along with a suspended three-month ban. Mason, now a pundit but previously a player who himself incurred DRA charges, sympathised with the Grand Slam champion. "I'm massively shocked. Especially when we’ve seen the other types of fines handed out over the years," Mason told . "I think it's their way of nipping it in the bud. I'm pretty sure they didn't need to fine him the best part of 22 grand. I don't know where they are coming from. "I think it's too harsh on him, personally."

Price was formerly a rugby player before making the switch to darts. Mason believes that the culture shock, as well as changes that are happening within darts at the same time, contributed to the controversy.
"Gerwyn comes from a completely different sporting background where aggression is key. But in our sport it's obviously not," the ITV pundit explained.
"I can't agree or attempt to condone his actions, but I'm also fully aware that he's been around darts five minutes and the rules have changed.
"It was very much a game brought up my fairly hardline men in pubs years ago, you would have been slapped down a peg or two if your behaviour was deemed unsporting.
"He's come from rugby where there's respect shown to the referee but no discipline for your opponents. I don't think he's quite grasped the etiquette side of the sport. Because he was allowed to get away with it early on, it's just snowballed."

Price is back in the Premier League and will meet Anderson for the first time on stage since the Grand Slam final on Week Four in Exeter. Before that he goes to Anderson's homeland of Scotland to take on crowd favourite Raymond van Barneveld, with the Scottish crowd likely to show antipathy towards the Iceman. Mason warned that the crowd hold serious sway, especially when they have selected a villain to target.
"I have sympathy for Gerwyn. You talk to him away from the oche and he's an absolute lovely guy. He has the right physical image that we want, he's very approachable and great with the press.
"In darts if the fans don't like you they can destroy you. Ultimately being disliked shortened Paul Nicholson's career," he said.
"We've seen how it was for him in the Worlds when he played Nathan Aspinall. He was certainly subdued in that one.
"He's going to be on the end of some serious stick. Gary Anderson is one of the most popular players the sport has ever produced. So what is going to happen to him in Scotland?"
However, Mason did acknowledge that Price's actions on the oche can ruffle some feathers.
"Celebrating isn't a new thing, gamesmanship on stage isn't a new thing. I just think it’s the manner in which it's been done. I think some players have found it genuinely intimidating and I just don’t think it's the image that the sport is trying to portray," he added.
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