Mr. Shepherd: The Facts, the Conversations, and the Questions That Remain

 Mr. Shepherd: The Facts, the Conversations, and the Questions That Remain

By Dr. C.G. Mcfadden

Contact: casper.mcfadden@mail.com

This afternoon, I had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Tucker — the Judo instructor of Mr. Baron Shepherd. Mr. Tucker spoke with nothing but respect and positivity about Mr. Shepherd. He confirmed without hesitation that Mr. Shepherd’s Judo training came directly from him.

According to Mr. Tucker:

“Baron’s training came from me. My own Judo training came from a Korean man who taught Judo. Baron took over the school after I stepped away from martial arts for personal reasons. We trained together in multiple schools and in different martial arts. He is a valid Judoka.”

Mr. Tucker stated that Mr. Shepherd also holds backgrounds in Shotokan and Kenpo, earned from instructors other than himself. He confirmed that Mr. Shepherd earned his first, second, and third-degree black belts in Judo under him, in reasonable timeframes.

He went further, describing Mr. Shepherd as a fantastic martial artist — a “solid lifelong martial artist” who has been known to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Mr. Tucker made it clear that he did not want to speak ill of Mr. Shepherd and was careful not to be misquoted.

When asked about the ongoing issues between Mr. Shepherd, Mr. Gordon, Mr. Hatfield, and others in the martial arts community, Mr. Tucker stated that he didn’t know the origins of the conflict. He speculated that Mr. Shepherd becomes defensive and angry when he feels something inaccurate has been said about him.

Mr. Tucker also offered an opinion worth noting:

“You can’t judge a man by his paperwork. Paper means nothing unless it comes from someone you respect. The only way to truly know a martial artist’s skill is to get on the mat and train with them.”

The Call from Mr. Shepherd

Roughly 20–30 minutes after my conversation with Mr. Tucker, I received a call from Mr. Shepherd himself. The tone was immediately irate.

His first words were:

“Why are you contacting my instructor?”

I explained that I intended to reach out to him as well and appreciated him contacting me directly. He told me that if I had questions, I could ask him — but before I could even begin, he cut in:

“I don’t know who the hell you are, and I don’t have to answer anything you have.”

I acknowledged that he was correct. He then ended the conversation with:

“Goodbye,”
and hung up.

In that short interaction, he also mentioned that everything I needed to know could be found in his blogs. I made it clear that I would prefer to hear it from him directly, rather than sift through endless writings.

Other Conversations

I’ve spoken with high-ranking individuals in Judo, including someone from USA Judo who assisted Mr. Shepherd in obtaining his National Governing Body certification as a 3rd degree black belt. This individual confirmed knowing Mr. Shepherd but expressed that “something is wrong” in terms of his behavior and attitude.

There’s also mention of a Mr. Robinson, a high rank from USJA Judo, who is said to have promoted Mr. Shepherd to 4th degree. I have not personally spoken with Mr. Robinson, but reports from others suggest that he expressed concerns about Mr. Shepherd’s conduct — again, this is hearsay and remains unverified.

Additionally, Steve Scott, head of Freestyle Judo, confirmed that Mr. Shepherd went through an extensive year-long process to obtain his 5th degree black belt and is indeed a skilled Judoka. He also stated that anything Mr. Shepherd does publicly is his own doing and does not reflect on the AAU or Freestyle Judo.

My Take

So far, the consistent facts are:

Mr. Shepherd is a legitimate Judo black belt.

He earned his 1st–3rd degree black belts from Mr. Tucker.

He holds higher ranks from other recognized Judo authorities.

He feels the need to police many others that he has no actual contact with

He feels that he has all of the facts and information about Mr. Gordon and Mr. Hatfield but has never spent time with them nor has not been willing to communicate and correct his accusations that Mr. Gordon had threatened a young lady with no actual proof and if that had been the case after two years nothing has been done because it isn't true.

He keeps holding onto the 

Those are the facts.

But facts about rank do not erase questions about conduct. His behavior toward others in the martial arts community — particularly toward Mr. Gordon, Mr. Hatfield, and others — raises legitimate concerns. His online writings, accusations, and public attacks seem fueled more by personal vendettas than verifiable evidence.

If Mr. Shepherd is truly the martial artist Mr. Tucker describes, why refuse open, respectful dialogue? Why not clarify, answer questions, and stand on the strength of his legitimacy?

In martial arts, skill matters — but so does character. And when accusations fly, behaviors matter even more.

Mr. Shepherd has the right to write his blogs and express his opinions. What he does not have the right to do is defame, attack, and cyberbully others for personal gain or satisfaction. That is not martial arts. That is not honor. and no this is not about Mr. Gordon or Mr. Hatfield this is about all of those that have been attacked and bullied for years with no voice. It just so happened to lead me to this cluster blister of a mess.

Until next time — those are the facts as they stand. The rest is up to Mr. Shepherd to clarify.