Riot blacklists ex-G2 CEO Ocelote over Andrew Tate controversy
Riot Games has blacklisted former G2 Esports CEO Carlos “Ocelote” Rodriguez. The move came amid an ongoing controversy involving Andrew Tate. A video posted to Ocelote’s Twitter handle shows him partying with the controversial internet personality.
The move was confirmed by Twitch streamer Yuste “Inyustificado” Armero in the Spanish esports show EsportsManiacos. Inyustificado claimed that Riot had reached out to G2 regarding the blacklisting of the former CEO not long after the organization announced his resignation from the position on September 23.
Inyustificado also claimed that Riot had made G2 ditch Ocelote as a prerequisite for the company to maintain its spot in LEC, the European circuit of League of Legends.
Ocelote’s controversy
Ocelote resigned from G2 shortly after posting a video of him partying with Tate, who is banned on multiple social media for violating their policies. Tate is often criticized for his misogynistic and sexist views.
Amid public backlash, Ocelote defended his relationship with Tate, saying that people cannot “police his friendships.”
“Nobody will ever be able to police my friendships. I draw my line here I party with whoever the f**k I want,” he said.
However, not long after that, Ocelote issued an apology on Twitter. Ocelote then agreed to an eight-week-long unpaid leave from G2. However, the franchise later reportedly lost a spot in VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) in the wake of the controversy.
Ocelote’s actions might have cost G2 its credibility and $10 million worth of an investment fund that Alibaba co-founder Joe Tsai had injected in December 2019. Last week, G2 released a statement confirming his departure from the company.
“It’s been a tough week for us all following the events of last weekend. Today we received, and accepted, Carlos’ announcement to step down as CEO of G2 Esports,” the organization said.
G2 implied the move was related to the controversial party video, saying the organization does not condone “any form of misogyny.”
“As a global esports organization serving the world’s most diverse fan-base, we take responsibility for our fans, employees, team members, and partners across the world,” the statement continued.
“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.”
Debuting a little over ten decades ago in 2010, Ocelote has been one of the most influential figures in LoL. He had been the face of G2 for years and was responsible for expanding its reach beyond LoL. However, as the organization had been facing hiccups this year, the incident led Ocelote to step down as the CEO of the organization he co-founded in 2015.
“My time at G2 Esports has come to an end, which means that I’ll be stepping down from my CEO position. I know it might be a shocker for most of you. This is a very hard ending to what has been otherwise a deeply meaningful and joyful experience,” Ocelote said.
“I’m very grateful for all these years together. […] I want to thank all of the fans; I want to thank the sponsors that made our livelihood possible. I want to thank all the investors that trusted me early on with their money.”
