In March 1998, Lipinski announced her decision to withdraw from the 1998 World Figure Skating Championships, citing a serious glandular infection that required her to have two molars extracted, constant fatigue, and possible mononucleosis. In April, Lipinski announced her intention to turn professional in an interview on the "Today Show", thus ending her eligibility to compete in the Olympics again. She cited a desire to end her family's separation caused by her skating career and to focus on other goals such as attending college in another two years. According to "The New York Times", her decision "sent tremors through the Olympic figure skating community". According to skater Scott Hamilton, Lipinski "took an enormous amount of heat" for turning professional. He reported that "USA Today" criticized her decision, stating that she had taken "the easy way out" and compared it to "joining the circus". Lori Shontz of the "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette" believed that Lipinski was treated unfairly by the figure skating establishment after her decision to leave competitive skating.