They were using coins to keep score. Dennis was pointing at the 2 coins and saying it was 8 to 8 (with the idea they were even and it was ok to quit), he pointed to the 2 coins a couple of times for this reason (he wasn't complaining about anything regarding the table or the game, he was just trying to get out of the game since it was a tie score at that point).
If Rob had agreed to call it off, then that would have been fine, there's an end to it... but if you believe what Rob posted about wanting to continue, then it's cut and dried, he either screws his stick back together, continues, and according to Rob, takes his ass whipping, or walks off and forfeits the posted cash...
Now if he did in fact screw his stick back together and decided to continue, then I really don't understand why Rob ( having the nuts as he said ) did not just continue and snap off the dime... If it came down as Rob described it in his post, with him calling Dennis out in the hallway and settling for $150.00 then I don't get the problem... IMO if Rob hadn't settled, then the match would have continued to a conclusion...however, since he decided to settle for whatever reasons, he's got no gripe coming...
Now is it ethical to quit and expect your opponent to just so OK we will call it off since you want to... Hell no, it's not... It has to be a mutual agreement... Rob was right IMO, it was an unethical move to try an get out of a trap... And when he saw that wasn't going to fly, he decided to continue.. This probably gave pause to Rob, disrupting his rhythm and perhaps causing him to get off track and ultimately decide to take a settlement... Only Rob knows the answer to that...
Did it affect Dennis's reputation as an end result... With some people, definitely.. With gambling in the pool room, not so much, he stays in action... Perhaps the incident gives caution to his adversaries when matching up, and perhaps it did tarnish his reputation overall among his peers, but even if they keep him at arms length when going to dinner, they still try to match up with him and get the money in pool room...
Is a signed contract now required before playing a match? What happened to being a man and accepting the fact that you made a bad game? Take your punishment, try and learn from it, and move on...
As a larger than life figure in the world of pockets billiards and a representative of the game at the highest level, Dennis should be, at the very least made aware of how weak this comes off to the viewing public and the professional alike... If you're gonna be a champion, with all due respect, act the part...