FaZe Clan indefinitely suspends Dubs after racial slur on stream

Steven Rondina Published 01/03/2020

Daniel “Dubs” Walsh has landed himself in hot water.

The Fortnite esports competitor has been suspended by FaZe Clan for using racist language. The moment came during another streamer’s broadcast, but was quickly clipped and spread across social media.

During a firefight, Dubs clearly uses a racial epithet with an extended pause between the two. From there, his teammate shouts “yo, I’m streaming, I’m streaming.” A long, awkward pause follows with Dubs seemingly aware of the gravity of the mistake he made.

Dubs’ team, FaZe Clan, was quick to issue a statement and hand down a punishment.

“FaZe Clan will not tolerate any form of hate speech. It is imperative for us to foster an inclusive environment in this community,” the organization stated. “Due to his actions, we are suspending Dubs indefinitely from representing FaZe Clan…we are requiring Dubs to go through sensitivity training.”

The organization also said it is compelling all members of the organization to go through similar training “proactively.”

Dubs himself followed by issuing an apology through his Twitter account.

“I can’t even describe how sorry I am. I did not intend to be hurtful in any way but what I said was still hurtful, insensitive, and wrong,” Dubs said. “The word shouldn’t have been in my vocabulary and I apologize from the bottom my heart to everyone I offended by using it. You deserve better.”

Dubs has been successful in his Fortnite esports career. The player most notably placed 15th in the Fortnite World Cup Solo Finals and seventh in Duos alongside fellow FaZe Clan player Noam “Megga” Ackenine.

Dubs is the latest in Fortnite’s long history with racist language

Though many young Fortnite fans were quick to defend Dubs and write off his racist language as “a mistake,” his delivery made it clear that he knew the gravity of what he said. It’s a black eye for the young player, but plenty of others in the game have bounced back from similar infractions.

Fellow FaZe Clan member Turner “Tfue” Tenney has, on multiple occasions, been caught using racist language. The most recent example of this came in September, when he used similar language while playing Minecraft. Tfue was not punished by FaZe Clan for that particular infraction, likely due to the ongoing legal battle between the two sides.

Even Tyler “Ninja” Blevins did the same in 2018. While doing a freestyle rap on stream, Ninja used a racial epithet. He faced no punishment from Twitch or his organization at the time, Luminosity Gaming.

As of this writing, Dubs has not been suspended from Twitch for the racist language. Expect FaZe Clan’s sanctions on the player to become more defined in the coming days.

Steven Rondina

About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

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