G2 Esports CEO Ocelote resigns following Andrew Tate incident backlash
European esports organisation G2 Esports announced on Saturday (24 September) that co-founder Carlos "Ocelote" Rodriguez has resigned from his position as CEO, after he was suspended for partying with controversial figures Andrew and Tristan Tate.
"Today we received, and accepted, Carlos' announcement to step down as CEO of G2 Esports. As a global esports organisation serving the world's most diverse fanbase, we take responsibility for our fans, employees, team members, and partners across the world," G2 Esports said in a statement on its official Twitter account.
"In this context, we want to underline that we do not support any form of misogyny. We continue to prioritize fostering inclusivity and supporting a diverse gaming community."
G2 Esports came under fire when Ocelote tweeted on 17 September a video of himself partying with the Tates, among others, to celebrate G2 qualifying for the League of Legends (LoL) 2022 World Championship.
Who is Andrew Tate?
Andrew Tate, who describes himself as a self-help guru for “aspiring alpha males", has previously been banned from YouTube, Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram and Twitter for misogynistic posts and videos claiming, among other things, that women are property and that victims of rape bear some responsibility for being sexually assaulted.
Tate has also received accusations and is undergoing an investigation for alleged sex trafficking and domestic abuse.
A couple of videos showing Tate beating up women in 2016 circulated earlier this year. In addition, Romanian police raided his home as part of a human-trafficking investigation last April.
Ocelote's video received immediate public backlash on Twitter from fans of the organisation and outside onlookers.
He later defended his actions, saying that “nobody will ever be able to police my friendships” in a tweet.
G2 Esports then announced on 18 September that Ocelote was handed an eight-week unpaid suspension for his actions, adding that "the actions of our CEO spoke a language in stark contrast with the values and the culture G2 lives by and strives for".
Following the announcement of his resignation, Ocelote posted a video on his personal Twitter account where he said he was "very grateful for all these years together".
"This is a very hard ending to what has been otherwise a deeply meaningful and joyful experience," added Ocelote.
G2 Esports was founded in 2014 as Gamers2 by Ocelote, a former League of Legends pro player, and investor Jens Hilgers.
The organisation rebranded as G2 Esports a year later and has since become one of the biggest esports organisations in the world, with teams competing in League of Legends, VALORANT, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Hearthstone, and Rocket League, among others.
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