Overwatch 2 pros apologize for rape jokes during practice

Content Warning: Sexual Assault Speech.

earlier this week the The very first champions of the Overwatch League, The London Spitfire, apologized to fans after a video recording of a training session in which two players joked about rape was leaked online. The person who first surfaced the recording later deleted it after apparent Discord messages of her with hentai (anime porn) in reply appeared online. All some surveillance 2 fans can do is shake their heads in collective embarrassment.

A March 14th a bracket seemingly from a private London Spitfire scrimmage session that showed tank player Daniel “Hadi” Bleinagel and Vancouver Titans support from Robert “Skairipa” Lupsa taking sexual assault lightly. “I rape,” Lupsa was apparently saying in the recording, Dexerto reportswhile Bleinagel also at one point referred to himself as a “rapist,” felt the context of that statement was harder to discern.

The London Spitfire make a statement The next day, he confirmed the incident, calling the language inappropriate and apologizing to fans and the bigger one over watch community. “We are taking immediate action as a result of these events,” the organization wrote. “The players involved will take part in a sensitivity training session conducted by a professional.”

Both players also posted their own separate apologies on Twitter. Bleinagel, who won the Overwatch League’s 2022 Hawelka Prize for positivity, wrote that “the use of that sort of word in this context is very wrong, childish and unprofessional.” Lupsa, who is believed to be the latest addition to the London Spitfire squad, wrote“R*pe and sexual assault is very serious and I am wholeheartedly remorseful for the words I have chosen as they devalue and downplay an evil act that has impacted the lives of many.” He added, that he’s sorry for still following Andrew Tate, a notorious misogynist crook, on Twitter who was arrested in Romania in December for rape and human trafficking.

But wait, there’s more.

The user who originally surfaced the incriminating clip on Twitter later deleted his tweet after another Users started sharing screenshots of them appeared to be sharing hentai on Discord depicting a minor. Then this Users had apparently leaked their own incriminating private conversations. Screenshots on the OverwatchTMZ subreddit seemed to show them using the n-word and making racist jokes. “This is too tmz for this sub,” one person wrote in response.

Toxicity and Sport have long gone hand in hand, an ugly but stubborn truth that keeps touching on ideals over watch tries to project of a welcoming, inclusive and diverse fandom who simply enjoy playing a wild sci-fi fantasy hero shooter and watching the best players in the world compete. Look no further than Blizzard repeatedly tried to ban a user-created “mode of sexual harassment.” I’m sure that a little more sensitivity training will finally do the trick.