A series of posts on Twitter accusing the former League of Legends (LoL) coach and caster Gabriel “MiT” Souza of sexual assault, has caused a wave of similar charges from many women in the Brazilian esports community.
The women were encouraged to share their stories of abuse by pro players and other industry personalities, in a movement that echoes the #MeToo revelations in the U.S. entertainment industry. Dozens of reports have been published since Tuesday when the story broke in The Esports Observer.
At least five different women have accused Souza of abuse. Souza published a public note acknowledging the charges and did not contest any of them.
Another case that has come to light involves coach Guilherme Henrique “Kake” Braga Morais, who was accused on Twitter by players he trained, some of them underage, of requesting intimate photos and blackmailing those who wouldn’t consent. Kake was working on Flamengo Esports’ academy team and was fired Tuesday after the accusations surfaced.
The wave escalated for other personalities outside the esports industry, and content creators from YouTube and Twitch were also exposed. Some of the most serious accusations include claims of sexual assault, psychological abuse, and even child abuse. One source who requested anonymity told TEO that she “hopes this just stops happening one day” and “that all the girls who went through this kind of thing will one day have peace.”
Brazilian journalist Mariane Coelho, who acted as an organizer of sorts on Twitter for the many cases that came out in the last few hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, told TEO that she “did all this work to be able to give a voice to all these girls. Not everyone has a big platform, not everyone can be heard. I hope I have helped in the best possible way and have done my job as a communicator because that is why I became a journalist.”
Esports personalities who have been accused of impropriety since the Souza story came out Tuesday include:
- Gabriel “MiT” Souza, former LoL player, coach, and caster: accused by multiple women of sexual assault. He acknowledged the accusations in a post on Wednesday and apologized “for any wound I may have caused to any person throughout my 29 years of age.”
- Guilherme Henrique “Kake” Braga Morais, LoL coach: accused by multiple people with screenshots from Discord demanding intimate photos of players he trained, including underaged ones. Kake deleted his Twitter and was fired from Flamengo Esports.
- Willyan “Wos” Bonpam, LoL player for Vorax: accused by one woman of sexual assault.
- Fillipe “pancc” Martins, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) player for Sharks Esports Team: accused by multiple women for harassment on the internet, including sexual-themed conversations with two underage girls. In a public statement, he apologized and acknowledged the veracity of facts.
- Hamilton “Shu” Neto, LoL coach for Naguara Mexico: accused of psychological abuse and physical assault by multiple sources.
- Gustavo “Docil”, LoL caster: accused by one victim of requesting intimate photos when she was underage. He apologized and acknowledged on Twitter the veracity of the report.
- Benjamin “Hyoga” de Barbi, LoL player for Santos e-Sports: accused of psychological harassment by an ex-girlfriend. Screenshots of conversations were presented.
- Lincoln “fnx” Lau, CS:GO player for Imperial Esports: accused of recording and sharing a video of an intimate moment with a woman without her consent.
- Célio “Thurizao” Oliveira, former LoL team manager: accused of sexual assault by one woman.
- Han Sol Kim, former Korean-Portuguese translator for LoL teams: accused with screenshots of a conversation sexually harassing an underage girl. He deleted his Twitter profile after the accusation.
- Marcos “Dryx” Vinícios, former Rainbow Six Siege player and current Valorant coach: accused of sexual harassment by one woman.
- Marcelo Almeida, CEO of Team Innova: accused by multiple victims of psychological harassment, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. On Twitter, he claimed that the accusations were not true, gave his version of the events, and posted a photo showing that he took the case to the police.
