G2 Esports CEO and cofounder, Carlos ‘ocelote’ Rodriguez, was lately caught partying with infamous web misogynist and normal piece of shit, Andrew Tate. The information provoked an enormous backlash on social media, and naturally the previous League of Legends professional determined to tweet by means of it. “No one will ever be capable to police my friendships,” he wrote. “I get together with whoever the fuck I would like.” Lower than 24 hours later, Rodriguez introduced he’s happening two months’ unpaid depart.
How precisely did folks uncover Rodriguez had been popping champagne with Tate, a topic in an ongoing investigation by Romanian authorities into human trafficking who was additionally lately deplatformed from Fb, TikTok, Twitch, and YouTube for hate speech? Effectively, as a result of Rodriguez posted a video of himself and a bunch of others, together with Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, passing round champagne and sparklers after G2’s latest second-place end on the summer season European League of Legends championship.
Rodriguez was instantly known as out by varied corners of the web for palling round with an asshole, whereas components of the esports world came to his defense.
As an alternative of backing down, the CEO addressed the state of affairs later that day in a tweet that implied he and Andrew Tate have been buddies. “No one will ever be capable to police my friendships, I draw my line right here,” it learn. “I get together with whoever the fuck I would like.”
The next morning he un-drew that line, apologizing to G2 Esports’ followers and supporters for “failing to learn the room.”
“Many G2 followers have been let down this weekend which created confusion about what I stand for,” the top of the group wrote. He went on:
It has all the time been my constant goal to face for absolute equality of alternative no matter who you might be or the place you come from, which is what gaming is all about. Make no mistake, my life was stuffed with learnings and I had my justifiable share of conditions I obtained into prior to now. I did not learn this room proper, really feel horrible concerning the discussions it created and can arise and settle for the results in full.
G2 Esports put out its own separate statement saying that its supervisory board and Rodriguez had agreed the CEO ought to take an eight-week unpaid depart of absence. “Final night time we failed you,” the group wrote, claiming Rodriguez’s actions have been in stark distinction with the laborious work it has achieved to make esports a protected and inclusive house.
Notably, nonetheless, neither Rodriguez nor G2 denounced Tate even because the group only recently introduced its first all-women League of Legends group. The “King of Poisonous Masculinity,” Tate has routinely gloated about abusing girls and treating them like property, and inspired his male followers to do the identical. Esports has a protracted and checkered historical past with racism, sexism, and all types of vile attitudes and behaviors, and this incident is essentially the most excessive profile instance shortly of why the house continues to be so unwelcoming to so many.
Regardless of eradicating G2 Esports from his Twitter bio, changing his deal with with a “relieved” emoji, and making his avatar a child phoenix within the strategy of being reborn, Rodriguez nonetheless doesn’t appear to have a difficulty with any of that. Or maybe he’s simply afraid of showing to fully capitulate within the face of these G2 supporters who additionally don’t have an issue with misogyny. I’m wondering what League of Legends new president, Lil Nas X, thinks.
Rodriguez and G2 Esports didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
