Former Super Smash Bros. pro Narioby “Nairo” Quezada’s return to streaming garnered mixed reactions from the Smash community.
Nairo claimed that he had been legally cleared of all charges after fellow competitor Zach “CaptainZach” Lauth accused him of committing statutory rape. Nairo said that after half a year of dealing with the situation, both of the two Smash players involved have reached a “legal agreement.” Nairo then said he wanted to “move forward with his life,” which includes getting back into streaming.
But there is one problem: Nairo still remains banned on Twitch.
While some in the Smash community have voiced their concerns with Nairo potentially returning to the spotlight, others have called on Twitch to remove the ban against Nairo. Many top players in the competitive scene have also stepped up to support Nairo. This includes Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma, who stated Twitch should “read and respond” to a document with updated facts on the situation.
#UnBanNairo @Twitch should read and respond to this updated document that has all pertinent facts prepared regarding the situation.
We can all agree a response regarding the matter in light of this is necessary.https://t.co/vprWGqfh0I
— hungrybox (@LiquidHbox) February 26, 2021
The document includes evidence of CaptainZach recanting parts of his story and admitting to asking Nairo for money to keep him silent about the incident. Following that admission, Nairo claimed that he had been “raped in his sleep” by CaptainZach, who intended to blackmail him.
Smash pro Ezra “Samsora” Morris tweeted out a public apology to Nairo, saying that he should have listened to his side of the story.
“I know that you are not a predator,” Samsora wrote. “It pains me to know that my misunderstandings have damaged people’s perspective of your character. I want to make things right.”
— Samsora (@Samsora_) February 19, 2021
Smash champion William “Leffen” Hjelte said it was unlikely that Twitch would answer the plea made on Twitter. He said that while the situation has been “legally settled,” there’s no real proof of Nairo’s innocence. Esports journalist Rod “Slasher” Breslau even reached out to Twitch for an update and was told that there’s been no update on Nairo’s Twitch status.
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