Jay Adams: Free Man

After more than two-and-a-half years behind bars, skate legend Jay Adams was released this morning, July 7, from the Federal Correctional Institution in Sheridan, Oregon. Bussed to Portland and flown to LAX, Jay will be living at a halfway home in Southern California. He’s also been offered a job as facilities manager at Hurley headquarters in Costa Mesa. For the time being, Jay says he’s going to stay put in Southern California. Probably a wise choice, since the frontier of Hawaii’s North Shore can make things tough for people who often find themselves surrounded by their personal demons.

In November 2005, Jay was arrested by federal agents at his North Shore home for his middleman role in a heavy-duty meth deal between California and Hawaii. For the back story, click here. Jay, who was on probation at the time, was facing a possible life sentence, but he turned his life around, got married, and was trying to do the right thing. Jay had to hand over yet another one of his 'Nine Lives' cards, and the judge gave him a light sentence, considering the circumstances.

According to his friends and family, if Jay blows it one more time, he’s going back to prison for the rest of his life. This much he eluded to in a letter I got from him a few months ago. He also reminded me of the first time we met in-person (when I flew to Hawaii in 2003 to interview him) and how that version of Jay Adams (the one who wouldn’t sit down for the interview until I cracked a beer and agreed to join him in consuming a batch of prescription painkillers) needed to vanish forever. If drug-addict Jay needs to go away so that today’s Jay can live on the outside with his family and friends, I can raise a cup to that. But his legacy as one of skateboarding’s most gifted natural talents (and all the good and bad that comes with the ride) will never be erased. Cheers to that, as well.

-PoolSnob