Shortly before the start of the Overwatch League on December 6, a rape allegation has shaken the fan community. The community is, as it always is in such cases: divided in opinion.
What actually happened?
On November 6, Twitch streamer Krystlin sent a tweet accusing NRG eSports manager Maxwell Bateman of sexual assault. According to her, the incident occurred on September 30 of this year after a party with fellow Overwatch players, during which he allegedly put something in her drink.
Upon arriving at the hotel room, he later sexually assaulted her while she was still dazed in bed. It was only a few days later that she recalled more and more details from that night and confronted him via messenger before going public with the tweet on Sunday.
.@NRGgg and @SFshock esports manager @Hotaruz (Max Bateman) sexually assaulted me. Being best friends with (cont) https://t.co/4id9TdzkZl
— кrуѕтℓιи (@Krystlin) November 6, 2017
True or false?
Such allegations always raise doubts about the truthfulness of the statement. Many suspect a thirst for attention or pure defamation. Unfortunately, there are also cases where accusations have indeed been fabricated.
But: In general, one should not fall into the trap of “victim blaming.” Some forget that many victims (whether female or male) do not immediately dare to report. The current #metoo movement has given some courage in this regard.
In this particular case, Krystlin also published the text messages indicating that Bateman actually feels guilty for something and sees an action as reprehensible.
“Yes, I know what I did was wrong. And I promise you that it will never happen again” [Source: twitter]
Then on Tuesday, he released a statement via Twitter, in which he primarily states that he does not want to discuss it publicly and wants to wait for an official process.
The reaction of the Overwatch team
Perhaps most interesting for us is the reaction of the league and NRG. Bateman was supposed to manage the San Francisco Shock. This team represents San Francisco in the Overwatch League and is owned by Andy Miller, who is also the CEO of NRG Esports. He immediately, just 14 hours later, took consequences from the incident and fired Bateman.
In accordance with NRG ESports zero tolerance policy, Max Bateman will no longer be employed by the organization.
— Andy Miller (@amiller) November 6, 2017
He refers to the “zero tolerance policy” of NRG Esports, which apparently does not tolerate such behavior. They do not want to stand behind such acts and make this very clear with this step. “No tolerance and no protection for the perpetrators.”
What’s next?
The Las Vegas police have not released any statement to this day. Ultimately, one must wait to see what the investigations reveal. Personally, I would like to conclude from this that I fundamentally appreciate that NRG Esports does not support an alleged rapist and communicates this publicly to set a precedent.
