G2 Esports CEO and cofounder, Carlos ‘ocelote’ Rodriguez, was not too long ago caught partying with infamous web misogynist and normal piece of shit, Andrew Tate. The information provoked an enormous backlash on social media, and naturally the previous League of Legends professional determined to tweet by means of it. “Nobody will ever be able to police my friendships,” he wrote. “I party with whoever the fuck I want.” Less than 24 hours later, Rodriguez introduced he’s happening two months’ unpaid go away.

How precisely did folks uncover Rodriguez had been popping champagne with Tate, a topic in an ongoing investigation by Romanian authorities into human trafficking who was additionally not too long ago deplatformed from Facebook, TikTok, Twitch, and YouTube for hate speech? Well, as a result of Rodriguez posted a video of himself and a bunch of others, together with Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, passing round champagne and sparklers after G2’s current second-place end on the summer season European League of Legends championship.

Rodriguez was instantly known as out by varied corners of the web for palling round with an asshole, whereas components of the esports world got here to his protection.

Instead of backing down, the CEO addressed the state of affairs later that day in a tweet that implied he and Andrew Tate had been pals. “Nobody will ever be able to police my friendships, I draw my line here,” it learn. “I party with whoever the fuck I want.”

The following morning he un-drew that line, apologizing to G2 Esports’ followers and supporters for “failing to read the room.”

“Many G2 fans were let down this weekend which created confusion about what I stand for,” the pinnacle of the group wrote. He went on:

It has at all times been my constant goal to face for absolute equality of alternative no matter who you might be or the place you come from, which is what gaming is all about. Make no mistake, my life was stuffed with learnings and I had my justifiable share of conditions I acquired into prior to now. I didn’t learn this room proper, really feel horrible concerning the discussions it created and can rise up and settle for the implications in full.

G2 Esports put out its personal separate assertion saying that its supervisory board and Rodriguez had agreed the CEO ought to take an eight-week unpaid go away of absence. “Last night we failed you,” the group wrote, claiming Rodriguez’s actions had been in stark distinction with the exhausting work it has executed to make esports a secure and inclusive house.

Notably, nonetheless, neither Rodriguez nor G2 denounced Tate even because the group only in the near past introduced its first all-women League of Legends group. The “King of Toxic Masculinity,” Tate has routinely gloated about abusing ladies and treating them like property, and inspired his male followers to do the identical. Esports has an extended and checkered historical past with racism, sexism, and all kinds of vile attitudes and behaviors, and this incident is essentially the most excessive profile instance shortly of why the house remains to be so unwelcoming to so many.

Despite eradicating G2 Esports from his Twitter bio, changing his deal with with a “relieved” emoji, and making his avatar a child phoenix within the strategy of being reborn, Rodriguez nonetheless doesn’t appear to have a problem with any of that. Or maybe he’s simply afraid of showing to fully capitulate within the face of these G2 supporters who additionally don’t have an issue with misogyny. I ponder what League of Legends new president, Lil Nas X, thinks.

Rodriguez and G2 Esports didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.