Update: The Dallas Fuel has benched xQc for the remainder of Stage 1 of the Overwatch League in a statement on their Twitter.
https://twitter.com/DallasFuel/status/954562635520978945
The earliest he'll be able to return is February 21, 2018, when the Fuel goes up against the Shanghai Dragons on the first night of Stage 2's matches. Our original story continues below:
xQc, a tank player for the Dallas Fuel in the Overwatch League, has been suspended for four games and fined $2,000 for violating the league's Code of Conduct according to a statement posted on the league's official website.
Félix "xQc" Lengyel has been suspended for four games for violating the Overwatch League Code of Conduct. The entire story begins with comments made by Houston Outlaws player Austin "Muma" Wilmot in a post-match interview (as shown in this Twitch clip) where he said the Dallas Fuel had been "smoked and rolled" in a recent match between the two teams. xQc commented on the matter on his personal Twitch channel during a livestream, stating the following in response to Muma's comments:
You didn't smoke shit. Shut your fucking mouth, go back there, suck a fat cock. I mean, he would like it, but...While insults are nothing new in the gaming world (much less from professional gamers or Twitch streamers), Muma is one of the few openly gay players in the Overwatch League. xQc stopped talking immediately after making the comments on air. He later apologized via Twitter: with Muma accepting the apology in a reply:
https://twitter.com/Muma/status/954270960307208192
If this were a spat between a couple of streamers over a game of Overwatch, things likely would have ended there. However, the Overwatch League is a multi-million dollar endeavor filled with sponsors and countless corporate interests. The Dallas Fuel responded to their player's comments by immediately benching him for the night:
https://twitter.com/DallasFuel/status/954469444306325504
The ruling from the league came down shortly thereafter. xQc closed things out with the following comments:
https://twitter.com/xQc/status/954512130291609605
The Dallas Fuel is set to play against the London Spitfire tonight at 11:00 PM Eastern Time as shown on the league's schedule. The ruling came down in advance of tonight's game. The earliest xQc will be able to play in a league match will be Saturday, February 3, 2018, in their match against the New York Excelsior.
What do you think of the Dallas Fuel's xQc being suspended from the Overwatch League for violating their Code of Conduct? Do you think the league made the right call here or is it an overreaction? Let us know in the comments below!
