In the wake of recent controversies surrounding former B Team athlete Jay Rodriguez, former ADCC promoter Seth Daniels has taken a firm stance on instructor-student relationships in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academies.
“I think it’d be great if instructors would stop f***ing their students,” Daniels stated bluntly during an appearance on the Jits and Giggles podcast several weeks ago. “I don’t know if that’s an unpopular opinion. I feel like that’s pretty popular.”
The comments have gained renewed attention following Rodriguez’s recent removal from the prestigious B Team, founded by Craig Jones, Nicky Rodriguez, and Ethan Crelinsten. Rodriguez, commonly known as J Rod, admitted in a social media statement that he was banned due to “unhealthy interactions with women in the gym.”
Rodriguez revealed he’s now seeking professional help: “This has now led to me seeking help through therapy just for my p*rn addiction that I’ve had for quite some time now.” He added that he’s been attending therapy for “the past few months” while “further building my relationship with my beliefs, my religion.”
Daniels emphasized the family-like bonds that should exist within training teams. “The way I was brought up is that your teammates are your family. You’re not going to f*** your sister,” he explained during the podcast. “I grew up on a team where it’s just not the kind of thing that happened. And the team I’m with now, it’s something that was always a no-no.”
Drawing from his extensive experience in the sport, Daniels referenced his time at the Olympic Training Center, reinforcing that teammates should be considered “brothers and sisters” in a respectful training environment.
However Daniels is far from a role model. Daniels pioneered (unsanctioned) betting on BJJ matches and even allegedly offered wagers on kids matches.
Daniels also choked out his female uke during the filming of an instructional and had a seemingly unsympathetic reaction to the incident. Instead of expressing concern or apologizing for the unintended outcome, he can be seen laughing and exchanging amused glances with his student once she regained consciousness. Further, there were those infamous death threats Daniels sent to Craig Jones for daring to compete with the ADCC.
While acknowledging that genuine relationships can naturally develop, Daniels expressed concern about predatory behavior: “But the grooming and all that stuff, there’s got to be some type of safer practices to keep predators out of gyms. It’s got to happen.”
The B Team has taken a clear position on the matter, stating: “Jay Rod is no longer a part of B Team. He has stated the reasons for his removal. B Team is a safe training place for all and we have a zero tolerance policy for anyone breaching that trust.” They disabled comments on their announcement post.
Daniels’ comments reflect growing concerns about accountability in combat sports communities. “Jiu-jitsu should be a safe place. It should be a safe place for everybody to go to,” he said. “It should be a place for fun where it doesn’t matter what you do outside the world and you shouldn’t have to worry about your safety inside the gym from some creepy dude.”
He further criticized how high-profile athletes sometimes avoid consequences for inappropriate behavior: “A lot of high-level people can get away with being creeps because they’re really good athletes. And that’s just something that needs to stop.”
Daniels recently reinforced his position on social media, posting: “A few weeks ago on @jitsandgigspod I spoke about NOT F**KING YOUR STUDENTS. In light of the recent scandals i feel it’s important I post this and say it loud enough so the creeps in the back of the room can hear it.”
Rodriguez, meanwhile, has reportedly been training at East Austin Jiu-Jitsu while addressing his personal issues. In his statement, he expressed agreement with the B Team’s decision and claimed that despite the controversy, “life has been very peaceful. I’m very happy, and grateful for the people around me.”
