After catching one of the most publicized waves of the year in Nazaré, Portugal, Garrett McNamara gained international fame as news of his ride swept through the global media. As claims that McNamara had surfed the first 100-foot wave spread, surfers on both sides of the aisle debated the merit of the ride. But in an unforeseen turn, McNamara recently announced that he has decided to pull his ride from the XXL Awards.

While the exact size of the ride is still under debate, it was largely assumed that the ride would be a shoo-in for a win in one of this year’s Billabong XXL Award. In an interview with SURFER, McNamara cited his opposition to the event’s alcohol sponsor, Pacifico Beer, as his primary motive for removing his ride.

“I decided to pull my ride from the event because I’m opposed to the event having an alcohol sponsor. I’ve been thinking a lot about what we really contribute to this world, and at the end of the day you’ve got to make choices,” said McNamara. “I don’t want kids to think that they’re going to be able to accomplish their goals in life by drinking alcohol. That’s only gonna make your goals harder to accomplish and I didn’t want to be associated with that.”

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