The Germany-based esports company founder posted a video of himself at a party with the controversial internet personality.
Carlos Rodriguez, the co-founder and CEO of G2 Esports has been canceled after he posted a video of himself partying with controversial internet personality Andrew Tate. The video footage posted by Rodriguez earned him huge backlash on social media, but he fiercely defended his actions and his friendship with Tate.
"Nobody will ever be able to police my friendships," Rodriguez declared on Twitter on Sunday morning. "I draw my line here. I party with whoever the f--- I want."
G2 Esports CEO Put on Unpaid Leave
Despite Rodriguez's carefree attitude, however, the G2 Esports CEO/cofounder was placed on unpaid leave less than 24 hours after he shared the video of himself and Tate, Kotaku reported. As per the report, the video footage also showed Tate's brother, Tristan as they were celebrating G2 Esports' second-place win at the European League of Legends championship this summer. The trio, along with others, were passing around champagne and sparklers in joyous celebration.
Who is Andrew Tate and Why is He So Problematic?
Rodriguez's link to Tate was met with fierce pushback due to the internet personality's notorious background. According to CNet, the 35-year-old internet personality flew mostly under the radar until this year, when he was banned from a number of the most popular social media platforms in August.
The report revealed that Tate, a self-help personality, was banned from Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter. This meant he would face challenges in promoting his Hustler's University online business. He had once falsely accused women of being partially responsible for being sexually assaulted and has allegedly shared dangerous messaging geared towards alpha males to radicalize them to abuse women in real life, The Guardian reported.
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G2 Esports CEO Issues Public Apology
Rodriguez's defiant attitude on Sunday morning did not last long, however. That's because the very same night, he again took to Twitter to issue a public apology. In a statement, he admitted that many G2 Esports fans have been "let down" and were confused about the things he stood for.
Rodriguez reiterated that he stands for "absolute equality of opportunity regardless of who you are or where you come from" and added that he "failed to read this room right" following the release of the video footage of him with Tate. The G2 Esports CEO and co-founder admitted he "felt terrible" about the backlash and was open to enduring the consequences of his actions, which includes a suspension without pay of up to November 13. A statement from the company posted on Twitter confirmed that they and Rodriguez had mutually agreed on the terms of suspension.
Rodriguez's association with the likes of Tate came as a surprise to many fans, as G2 Esports has recently launched initiatives for female inclusion, Dot Esports reported. Just last week, the organization announced the new all-female League of Legends team, which followed the female VALORANT team.
