Flex's losses had much more to do with politics than people know.
We hear the word often in association with judging and the "sport" but I don't think many of us realize the true impact of the word.
Nobody really wants to come out and say "dirty" or "payoff" ~ it's like some kind of taboo.
Flex was awesome many times. So was Shawn.
These guys have pretty much kept their mouths shut about what was going on (yes, even Shawn) and because of this they remain in good standing with the IFBB today.
I've had the... "opportunity"

to sit on a few judging panels with NPC competitors and it really is astounding at what words are spoken and what kinds of things go on behind the scenes. I suppose you could call it 'dirty little secrets?"
If only.
If only the competitors were judged according to their appearance and their conditioning.