Michael Andrew Won’t Swim in the 2021 ISL Season

Michael Andrew, a co-owner and 2020 team captain for the New York Breakers, will not be returning to the team for the 2021 season.

Andrew was part of the Breakers’ pool of athletes to retain, but was not announced Tuesday as one of 15 that they reserved for next season.

The versatile Andrew, who is qualified to race at the Olympic Games for the US in 3 individual events, hasn’t yet lived up to expectations in the ISL format yet – a format that seems tailor-made for him. But he was still the team’s top scorer in the 2020 season, ranking 26th in the league in MVP points in the regular season.

Andrew was expected to be one of the premier performers in this format, given his ability to sprint in all 4 strokes at an elite level and a unique training methodology that allows him to sprint repeatedly within a session.

Michael Andrew, along with his mother Tina and father Peter, are the owners of the Breakers team. Tina also has served as the team’s general manager, though head coach Martin Truijens was the public face of the team during Tuesday’s draft, when most teams were represented by their general managers.

SwimSwam has reached out to Michael Andrew, and his representatives, about his absence from the draft. They have declined to comment other than to confirm that he’s not planning to race in the 2021 season.

In announcing his absence on the live draft telecast, New York Breakers head coach Truijens said he wished that he could name Andrew as the last name but that the “league will survive” without him, a sentiment that was then echoed by host Mark Foster and Energy Standard GM James Gibson.

New York Breakers Retained Athletes:

Marco Koch
Abbie Wood
Joe Litchfield
Arina Surkova
Molly Renshaw
Felix Auboeck
Lewis Clareburt
Svetlana Chimrova
Brendon Smith
Ajna Kesely
Daria Ustinova
Sarah Vasey
Jacob Whittle
James Wilby
Alicja Tchorz

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Floater
2 years ago

My body my choice. This “vaccine” is NOT scientifically proven! What about HIPPA? It’s none of your business and against the law to inquire about his health information. If you’re worried about Covid, get vaccinated and leave the Andrew family alone and In addition keep your opinion to yourself.

Admin
Reply to  Floater
2 years ago

That’s not what HIPPA means.

Yup
2 years ago

Don’t let the door hit you on the way out…..

Bobo Gigi
2 years ago

If he wants a long and successful career he has to rest regularly and especially after olympics. Athletes need breaks to refresh mentally and physically. MP wouldn’t have had the same career without those breaks and if he had also focused on the SCM season.
And personally I don’t care about ISL so I’m not disappointed.

Blackflag82
Reply to  Bobo Gigi
2 years ago

MP wouldn’t have had the same career without those breaks and if he had also focused on the SCM season.

Arguably, MP could have had the same career without the type of breaks he took (though breaks more along the Aaron Peirsol type) if he’d been getting the mental health help he admits he needed during that time…

your dislike of short course anything tends to cloud your common sense.

Eric the eel > Phelps
2 years ago

I think the real problem is that date of the competition, just after the olympics seriously? they could do it at the end of the year like the other seasons but why??? let the swimmers rest

Verram
2 years ago

He will probably be named later on after the Olympics perhaps ?

Creates a bit of drama for IsL like a reality show

Troyy
Reply to  Verram
2 years ago

Bypassing the draft process? That’d be dodgy af.

Admin
Reply to  Verram
2 years ago

Michael’s team has confirmed that he’s not planning to swim ISL.

Ugh
2 years ago

Did he fire himself for the unemployment insurance?

Vinny B
2 years ago

Imagine being heavily recruited by and signing with the owners of an ISL team, and then they quit without telling anyone, stranding you with last place money…ouch.

Jpsteady
2 years ago

Based on the cap he is wearing, he is obviously starting the MA Swim Academy.

About Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though. Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending …

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