G2 Esports has suspended CEO Carlos “Ocelote” Rodríguez Santiago following his celebratory tweet that showed him partying with former kickboxer and controversial figure Andrew Tate.
Andrew Tate has been at the center of
many controversies
in past months. Tate became a prominent figure after he was thrown off reality show Big Brother due to a video of him beating a woman and slapping her with a belt. He found new life as an influencer, but was banned by most major social media platforms after numerous misogynistic rants.
More recently, Tate’s home in Romania was raided at the behest of the United States Department of State due to an American woman allegedly being held at the home against her will. The situation is currently under investigation by local authorities.
What is the drama and controversy surrounding Ocelote?
Ocelote found himself embroiled in controversy after a video surfaced showing him at a celebration alongside controversial influencer Andrew Tate.
Despite the many controversies surrounding Tate, the G2 Esports CEO seemingly sought to rub shoulders with the ex-kickboxer. A video of Ocelote celebrating the recent second-place finish for G2 in the LEC went viral as fans caught a glimpse of
Andrew Tate lighting a cigar
alongside Ocelote. The video prompted massive backlash but Ocelote responded with indignity, refusing to apologize for partying with a “friend.”
His tweet further fanned the aggravated community, who called out the CEO for hanging out with an influencer who’s breached community guidelines on multiple platforms for dangerously misogynistic takes. Carlos’ unapologetic tweet wasn’t well received by G2 fans, driving a lot of hate to the organization itself that recently signed a female League of Legends team.
G2 Esports suspends Ocelote without pay for 8 weeks
Multiple members of G2 Esports came forward on the matter, including content creator
Jakub “Lothar” Szygulski
and G2 Hel’s Maya “Caltys” Henckel. The organization suspended the CEO for eight weeks and cut off his earnings for the time away.
Prior to the company’s penalty, Carlos came forward with his own statement, saying he stands for absolute equality. The CEO claimed that he felt terrible about the discussions it created and failed to “read the room.” The statement didn’t include an apology, nor did he take down the video, but it calmed the storm to some extent.
“G2 is above Carlos and always has been. I will do anything to protect this company and my colleagues in it as it is my unconditional duty to them,” Carlos said.
Response to Ocelote’s about-face on the matter was met with negatively by fans.
Fariha Bhatti
About Fariha Bhatti
Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.
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