It was recently announced that Honda, the car manufacturer, would be parting ways with Team Liquid after a six-year-long fruitful partnership because of an inappropriate social media post from one of Liquid’s players.
Lucas ‘DiasLucasBR’ Dias, a Rainbow Six Siege pro player, suffered a recent loss against CAG Osaka at the RE:L0:AD tournament in Rio de Janeiro. He responded with a social media post that named CAG and featured a GIF of a nuclear eruption.
CAG Osaka is a Japanese esports organisation – put two and two together.
‘It Was Never My Intention’
In the uproar that followed the post, Dias explained:
I want to sincerely apologize for the post I made after our last loss. I made a big mistake using that GIF, and I understand that it may have caused discomfort to many people.
From the bottom of my heart, it was never my intention to make any offensive reference, but I recognize that the context and choice were inappropriate.
In case you’ve missed a little key history, Japan was the target of two atomic bombs dropped in World War II by the United States, effectively decimating both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Team Liquid had enjoyed a six-year partnership with Honda, but given the social media post and Honda’s Japanese origins, a strong decision was made by the motor manufacturer:
Honda took this matter extremely seriously and, as a sponsor company, promptly lodged a severe protest wit hthe team and the player in question.
After much consideration, (Honda) has decided to terminate its sponsorship agreement with the team in question, deeming the conduct to be incompatible with Honda corporate values and unnacceptable.
Despite the debacle, Team Liquid aligned with Dias and made it clear he had no malicious intent with what we posted, but he would be fined four months’ salary. Additionally, any winnings the team accrued from the RE:L0:AD tournament will be donated to charity.
Ultimately, Team Liquid finished in 16th place in the tournament (on home turf), while CAG Osaka made it to second place. Some have considered that a form of poetic justice.
For more Insider Gaming esports, check out our interview that revealed how Esports World Cup games are picked
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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