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Pro releases statement after elevator accident: ‘Hard work ahead’

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The pro whose freak accident led to multiple surgeries has released a statement thanking those who have reached out and said he has lots of hard work and rehab ahead as he now focuses on recovery.

Andrea Pavan, 36, fell three stories down an elevator shaft on Wednesday when the elevator doors opened, but no car was present. The news was first reported by Ryan French of Monday Q Info, and a GoFundMe created to support Pavan later explained more details.

Pavan, a two-time winner on the DP World Tour, was in South Africa to play this week’s Investec South African Open Championship when the accident happened at his private accommodation for the week.

“I would like to say a big thank you for all the kind words and wishes I have received over the last 48 hours,” Pavan said in a statement, which was released by the DP World Tour on Friday. “I had surgery on my shoulder and my back on Wednesday evening and I am currently recovering in [the] hospital.

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“I now have a lot of rehab and hard work ahead of me, but the care I have received so far from the Mediclinic hospital staff has been incredible, as has the support from the DP World Tour, the Sunshine Tour and all their staff here in Stellenbosch. I am also very grateful for all the help Johann Rupert and his wife Gaynor have given me.

“The last two days have been difficult, but I am in very good hands and to have so many players, caddies and staff visit and contact me has meant a lot to me. Grazie mille everyone, from me, my wife Audra, and my entire family.”

The Italian pro was a member of Texas A&M’s NCAA championship team in 2009, and one of his former A&M teammates, Matt Van Zandt, created the GoFundMe to support Pavan, his wife and their three kids.

“Andrea has been part of many close-knit communities across the world, from his time at Texas A&M and the 12th man, to the world of professional golf between the PGA and DP World Tours,” Van Zandt wrote. “Now is the time that we come together and support him through this unexpected trial.”

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The GoFundMe campaign has already raised $40,000 of its $100,000 goal. You can visit the page here.

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Donald Trump unhappy with FBI director Kash Patel over controversial Olympic locker-room celebration: Report

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FBI Director Kash Patel’s locker room celebration with the U.S. men’s hockey team at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics has landed him in hot water with President Donald Trump, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Videos of Patel celebrating in the locker room surfaced following Team USA’s 2-1 overtime victory against Canada which marked the first American men’s hockey gold medal since the legendary 1980 “Miracle on Ice.” The footage captured Patel chugging beer, banging on tables and joining in raucous celebrations with the players.

However, Trump has repeatedly expressed his disappointment to Patel about the incident, a person familiar with the conversation revealed to NBC News. The president was also displeased with Patel’s use of a government jet to travel to Italy for the Olympics.

“Trump — who does not drink — told Patel he was unhappy not only with that scene, but also with Patel’s use of government aircraft for the trip to Milan, Italy, according to the person familiar with the matter,” NBC News reported.

The timing of the trip raised eyebrows as it coincided with a shooting incident at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida where an armed individual breached the security perimeter. Though Trump was not present during the incident, critics questioned whether the FBI director should have been abroad during such a significant security event.


Kash Patel defended his Olympic attendance

Patel has defended his presence at the Olympics stating the trip served official purposes beyond athletic spectating. He maintained that he met with Italian law enforcement and U.S. agencies providing security for the international event as well as overseeing protection for the estimated 250,000 American citizens who traveled to Milan.

“For the very concerned media — yes, I love America and was extremely humbled when my friends, the newly minted Gold Medal winners on Team USA, invited me into the locker room to celebrate this historic moment with the boys,” Patel wrote on X following the controversy.

The FBI declined to comment on Trump’s reported displeasure. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson issued a statement emphasizing the administration’s confidence in Patel and highlighting crime rates “dropping across the board” as evidence of successful implementation of the president’s law enforcement agenda.

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This is not the first time Patel has faced scrutiny over his use of FBI aircraft. Senator Dick Durbin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee previously requested that the Justice Department’s inspector general investigate what he characterized as Patel’s “misuse or mismanagement of government resources.”