Carlos “Ocelote” Rodriguez is the founder and now former CEO of G2 Esports, one of the best European teams in E-Sports of League of Legends. Ocelote has now announced his resignation after days of conflict. The trigger for the controversy was a party clip.
The last few days have been eventful for fans of League of Legends and especially the famous pro team G2:
- Ocelote posted a video, in which he celebrated the world championship with Andrew Tate.
- Tate is considered extremely misogynistic due to his statements and behavior and is a controversial figure on the internet.
- Ocelote initially defended his decision, but then backtracked and became unusually humble.
Shortly after the appearance and the ensuing debate, LoL and Valorant maker Riot decided to exclude G2 Esports as a franchise partner for Valorant (via Kotaku). The ex-ceo Ocelote has now announced that he is leaving the esports team.
This is what Ocelote says now: In a longer video on Twitter, Ocelote explains that his time at G2 Esports has come to an end. He built the team from the ground up with his own means and has developed it for over 8 years. But now it is over.
He thanks the sponsors and everyone who made his and G2’s rise possible. But he takes full responsibility for what has happened in the last few days: “I feel absolutely down about this, believe me.” He even becomes quite emotional:
What started as a dream has turned over time into a group of people with the same aspirations and goals. I will always look back and be happy about it because we did a good job.
Ocelote thanks all sponsors and organizers who have helped him over the years and all the fans who supported him. “I won’t forget that, okay? I’m very emotional, but I won’t cry. Not today. This is my farewell video, and I swear I won’t cry.”
He hopes that the good things will be his legacy: “Remember, we are samurai. We get better, not because we win. But because we get up again and again.”
“We do not support any form of misogyny”
This is what G2 says: In a statement from G2, which the organization posted simultaneously with Ocelote’s video on Twitter, the team explains:
“As a global E-Sports organization serving the most diverse fan base in the world, we take responsibility for all our fans, employees, team members, and partners around the globe. In this context, we want to emphasize that we do not support any form of misogyny.”
The statements refer to the connection drawn between ex-ceo Ocelote and former kickboxer Andrew Tate after the merely 8-second video.
Tate himself previously stated in a video that he moved to Romania because it would be less likely for him to be prosecuted for rape. He has even been investigated for human trafficking, but without any result (via TheGuardian).
This is how Twitter reacts: Although support for the statement against misogyny is high, some users express criticism, including notable figures in the gaming world. The German TCG player nicotho stated:
“Imagine you post an 8-second clip of you celebrating with a guy that the internet hates. You say nothing about his views, do not agree, and do not contradict. And lose your CEO position. You can’t make this up.”
Even the formerly most famous WoW player in the world, Kungen, has spoken out, although he has been hardly active on social media for a long time. He writes: “What a joke. The man did nothing. What’s next? People canceling because they like tweets or appear in photos with others? We are treading a dangerous path.” (via Twitter)
Others also find the power of social media concerning, even if no one agrees with Tate’s views. And this is currently not the only hot topic on the internet.
The streaming platform Twitch is currently having a huge discussion among its biggest streamers:
Others also find the power of social media concerning, even if no one agrees with Tate’s views. And this is currently not the only hot topic on the internet.
The streaming platform Twitch is currently having a huge discussion among its biggest streamers:
