I'm not speaking for Relson in any way and just want to say this upfront.
I read that whole thread but it is confusing as hell. I know that the thread went to hell but this is from what I know as a Relson student.
I started at the Relson Main Academy around May 2004, entered NAGA and won my white belt division September 18, 2004. I say this because Kendall was in the Superfight of that NAGA and loss a very close match but was probably exhausted because he had to lose some weight for the match and was running the track outside Farrington High School gym where the event was held to make the weight. Whatever that was.
If anyone has the Grappling Magazine, for that event I think December 2004, we are all one big happy family and I believe that Kendal's brother (who is writing in nhb forum) was in the magazine too. Also there is TUF guy Anthony Torres who was with Grappling Unlimited at the time, now he has his own school.
But anyway, we had great times, a big afterparty, Ze out of Renzo's school was a ref, who entered the NAGA, won and stayed with Relson. Everything was fine and I asked Relson about Kendal and I could see that Relson was very proud of Kendall. Kendall Goo was a football player out of the university of Hawaii and actually was drafted or selected? in the NFL draft but got hurt? Something like that but anyway, after his football career was over he went to train with Relson and won World Championships in every belt from blue to brown and was on his way to his black belt but Royce Gracie needed help training for the "fight" with Akebono and Kendall was training with Royce. The next thing anyone knows, someone sees Kendall with a black belt and Hawaii is a small place so word is Relson promoted Kendall but Relson says, "no, it was not me." so finally it is found out that Royce awarded Kendall the black belt.
Relson calls Royce up and asks why he promoted Kendal, Royce says he is ready in his eyes. Relson says something to the effect of "Royce, you are my brother and I love you but you are wrong to promote Kendal without asking me." Royce says something to the effect of "If you don't think he is ready, you take it (the black belt) off of him." Relson says, "No, you promoted him already, you do it or don't but you are wrong." Royce doesn't take away the black belt and from that day to this Kendal represents Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu and is a main instructor at the Lab. Thats all I know. I'm sure there's more but that is all I know.
In the thread, its kind of confusing but if its the same Pono, Pono runs KIT Kauai Institute T??? I don't know what the T stands for but Pono is still under Relson and won at the Gracie Proving Grounds
http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?FighterID=19800
I respect Kendall, I respect Relson. I know sometimes there are threads about training with other schools and other instructors and getting promoted by other instructors and and I always say ask your instructor based on my experience with the Kendall situation. I think this is a perfect example with why things can go wrong.
Also if you see Joe Hursts posts about training with Gracie Barra in Brazil you will see why I always get permission to train at other schools and I get it in writing. There was another thread posted about the split between Joe and Relson. If I remember correctly Joe Hurst promotes the highly successful Bud Cup. The thread was posted in nhb too but I don't belong there and don't know how to find and post things from there. But anyway, he has experience too with being promoted by someone other than Relson and there is controversy in that with a whole another set of issues.
Relson and Rickson for that matter are old school. If you train anyplace else without asking their permission and they find out its going to be troubling. I think there was a thread that linked another old nhb thread with someone called oldtimer training with Rickson and one of the Machados without Rickson's knowledge, but Rickson found out and that person was writing that it was just like a part out of the Godfather movie where he gets whacked. I think even Fabio Santos, who trained with Rolls, Rickson and Relson was getting hassles over the Dean Lister promotion thing. Its just with these oldtime jj instructors loyalty is everything. I find no fault in that.
I say that loyalty is everything but I have also seen with my own eyes, students who leave Hawaii ask Relson permission to train with BJ Penn (Nova Uniao), Jean Jacque Machado (GB?), or other places and not only does he say yes, but gives them a hug and a open invitation to return to train with us. I saw this twice with my own eyes and its very touching especially the guy who went to train with BJ Penn who was a classmate of mine from the beginning.
I feel that Relson has always treated me like family more than a teacher, so I speak from that perspective. I live on Oahu and have no dreams of leaving Relson or Hawaii, so I'm all good. Peace out.
(The day ended on a high note as Royce Gracie promoted 3 of his students to the ranks of Black Belt in Jiu-Jitsu. John Crouch, Kendall Goo and Mark Bermister.) 
