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Female Smash player was sexually molested at EVO: Offender banned from comp play 1 yr

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It's literally in the first imagine in the first post in this thread. Are you even trying?
Calm down, the word is image* - are you even trying?
he climbed into bed between a woman and her boyfriend and stuck his hands under her clothes to feel her up. after kicking him out of bed she moved and he did it again.
Ahh alright, thought it was more than that if people were suggesting that she press charges. For something like this, it'd probably be a waste of time and money to go through the process, as sad as that is to say ;\ Although, maybe not considering you can be put on the sex offender registry for peeing in public near a school? Who the hell knows..

Dude's a scumbag.
 
Ban him for life, and press sexual assault charges against him. That should be the appropriate action made right? I don't even see how there can be a debate about this at all.

I agree to get him sued but a lifetime ban is really too much. The guy has still is whole life ahead of him, he screwed big time but he shouldn't get punished his entire life for this
 
As far as I know EVO hasn't issued a statement yet. I expect him to be banned for life.

The one year thing is a recommendation from a group of tournament organizers on a Facebook group or something along those lines.

From looking at his twitter, it seems like Mr. Wizard's birthday was yesterday or he was at least celebrating it yesterday. So he hasn't even made it back home to assess what went on at EVO. I'd fully expect a lifetime ban from EVO to be coming down. And that'll have a ripple effect with other major tournaments as EVO is the big one.
 

diaspora

Member
Being a registered sex offender in Nevada (while living in South America) would be more severe than taking away his main source of income? How so?

If he's charged with sexual assault and put on a sex offender registry would he even be able to come back to the US in the first place?

edit: arguing about whether or not being a registered sex offender is worse than being banned from playing fighting games competitively is just lol
 

kpeezy

Banned
From looking at his twitter, it seems like Mr. Wizard's birthday was yesterday or he was at least celebrating it yesterday. So he hasn't even made it back home to assess what went on at EVO. I'd fully expect a lifetime ban from EVO to be coming down. And that'll have a ripple effect with other major tournaments as EVO is the big one.

I wouldn't be surprised. Unless things have really changed in the last couple of years, these TOs are all doing this stuff in their freetime, etc. People have ridiculous expectations of how efficient and businesslike these groups of people should behave. I would expect a more calculated response from the EVO group for sure.
 

Rudiano

Banned
People will keep talking about this until the proper actions have been taken by the community.

If you don't want to talk about it then fucking leave.

Calm down. The "proper action" would have been to press charges on the guy, its not rocket science....but it doesnt look like thats happening and the guy instead got a 1 year ban
 
I agree to get him sued but a lifetime ban is really too much. The guy has still is whole life ahead of him, he screwed big time but he shouldn't get punished his entire life for this

Eh, I'm not necessarily suggesting that zero tolerance policies are always the best course of action, but I do suggest having some perspective here. This isn't some cheating scandal. We're talking about sexual assault. Further, that sexual assault was directly tied into being a member of this community. One can always reassess further down the road, but I don't think a regard for the perpetrator's rehabilitation or redemption is of paramount importance here. This isn't a petty violation we're talking about here.
 

1044

Member
Oh right, then there is no need for this discussion to be 31 pages long already. I already said earlier she chose not to press charges and people should move on

She is choosing not to press charges based on fear and duress. Do you really think there's nothing to discuss about this situation and everyone should just move on simply because of:
1. Her emotionally compromised decision to not pursue this.
2. The TO's leniency that could encourage further incidents.

There is plenty to discuss and demands to be made because something like this should not happen ever again, even if this girl is not pressing charges.
 

VinFTW

Member
Ban that idiot for life, there's no shortage of competition.

If we want eSports to be taken seriously then issue proper punishments. Zero tolerance.

Then again wtf am I talking about, people in the NFL get away with fucking murder
 

pastrami

Member
Calm down. The "proper action" would have been to press charges on the guy, its not rocket science....but it doesnt look like thats happening and the guy instead got a 1 year ban

But why the "move on" comment?

Edit: As for lifetime ban, it seems harsh, but I can understand the reasoning behind it. Maybe an indefinite ban? No real limit to how long the ban could be, and leaves the door open for rehabilitation (maybe contingent on therapy or counseling).
 

aeolist

Banned
Calm down. The "proper action" would have been to press charges on the guy, its not rocket science....but it doesnt look like thats happening and the guy instead got a 1 year ban

you do not get to decide that for the victim, neither does the tournament community. pressing charges is on her and her alone.

the decision for the community is what to do in order to make people feel safe and deter future assaults. in this case they whiffed badly.
 

kpeezy

Banned
Ban that idiot for life, there's no shortage of competition.

If we want eSports to be taken seriously then issue proper punishments. Zero tolerance.

Then again wtf am I talking about, people in the NFL get away with fucking murder

No, remove smash from EVO is the only way.

To put this into perspective somewhat here are the very recent updates to the NFL policy:

"Effective immediately, violations of the Personal Conduct Policy regarding assault, battery, domestic violence or sexual assault that involve physical force will be subject to a suspension without pay of six games for a first offense, with consideration given to mitigating factors, as well as a longer suspension when circumstances warrant," Goodell letter states.

A second offense would trigger an indefinite suspension of at least a year, although a player could apply for reinstatement.

Of the country's four major professional sports leagues, the NFL now has the strictest mandatory punishment for first-time domestic violence offenders."

Maybe put your pitchforks down and go do something productive? I'm sure the TOs did what they thought was correct.
 

ps3ud0

Member
I hope Evo issue a statement where he gets a lifetime ban from the tournament, I expect other TOs to quickly fall into line with the same message if they did.

ps3ud0 8)
 
Eh, I'm not necessarily suggesting that zero tolerance policies are always the best course of action, but I do suggest having some perspective here. This isn't some cheating scandal. We're talking about sexual assault. Further, that sexual assault was directly tied into being a member of this community. One can always reassess further down the road, but I don't think a regard for the perpetrator's rehabilitation or redemption is of paramount importance here. This isn't a petty violation we're talking about here.

You're right, the worst part is that if he can actually participate someday again, she could randomly meet him which will be horrible for her. Yeah ban him, I'm always for giving a second chance to the criminal but the situation here is really too delicate...
 

Dremark

Banned
Prison isn't a ban from playing video games with other people. A perma ban doesn't carry the same severity as... any sentence for any length of time for sexual assault.

I understand that and I'm not equating the severity of the two. The reason the parallel was made is to demonstrate that that people are given second chances after a period of time to change and rehabilitate.

Personally, as I stated, I think he should be banned for life. My take on it is that he's already used his second chance when he tried it a second time and he's getting off the hook with everyone else aside from his sponsor.

What I'm ultimately saying is arguing against a perm ban doesn't nessesarily mean you feel the actions he took are excusable.

From looking at his twitter, it seems like Mr. Wizard's birthday was yesterday or he was at least celebrating it yesterday. So he hasn't even made it back home to assess what went on at EVO. I'd fully expect a lifetime ban from EVO to be coming down. And that'll have a ripple effect with other major tournaments as EVO is the big one.

Yeah, I had forgotten it was his birthday but even if it wasn't I don't fault them for taking the time to access things.

I also expect (and hope for) a lifetime ban and a trickle down to the lower tournaments.
 
This isn't vandalism or cheating, jesus. This guy sexually assaulted someone twice what the fuck.

people apparently value somebody's ability to continue playing a video game over other peoples' interest in not getting sexually assaulted

and for the lunkheads in here, her not pressing charges does not mean that what he did is forgiven or condoned.
 

VinFTW

Member
No, remove smash from EVO is the only way.

To put this into perspective somewhat here are the very recent updates to the NFL policy:

"Effective immediately, violations of the Personal Conduct Policy regarding assault, battery, domestic violence or sexual assault that involve physical force will be subject to a suspension without pay of six games for a first offense, with consideration given to mitigating factors, as well as a longer suspension when circumstances warrant," Goodell letter states.

A second offense would trigger an indefinite suspension of at least a year, although a player could apply for reinstatement.

Of the country's four major professional sports leagues, the NFL now has the strictest mandatory punishment for first-time domestic violence offenders."

Maybe put your pitchforks down and go do something productive? I'm sure the TOs did what they thought was correct.
This is my first post on the matter and you're telling me to go do something productive?

It's a discussion board, people are discussing.

Get over it.

And you're focusing far too much on my statement regarding the NFL. Replace NFL with a lot of sports, NHL, MLB, etc etc
 

kpeezy

Banned
This is my first post on the matter and you're telling me to go do something productive?

It's a discussion board, people are discussing.

Get over it.

And you're focusing far too much on my statement regarding the NFL. Replace NFL with a lot of sports, NHL, MLB, etc etc

I was just making fun of the people calling for Smash to be totally removed from EVO, CEO etc. I think lifetime ban for first offense is over the top, especially compared to other gaming organizations such as the NFL, but I don't care too much either way on that issue. I just think people in this thread need to get a clue about the reality of the situation.
 

Sami+

Member
Calm down. The "proper action" would have been to press charges on the guy, its not rocket science....but it doesnt look like thats happening and the guy instead got a 1 year ban

No. And that's not your decision to make, nor anyone else's. If SHE wants to press charges then she should, if she doesn't then that's the end of that matter.

How his participation in the community is handled is an entirely separate matter, and an indefinite ban is the only solution that makes any sense. It's as disappointing as it is completely fucking mind-boggling that anyone could argue against this.
 

diaspora

Member
I don't think there's any reasonable way for a perma-ban from playing fighting games competitively for sexual assault can be construed to be over the top
 

VinFTW

Member
I was just making fun of the people calling for Smash to be totally removed from EVO, CEO etc. I think lifetime ban for first offense is pretty over the top, especially compared to other gaming events but I don't care too much either way on that issue. I just think people in this thread need to get a clue about the reality of the situation.
What is the reality of the situation?

You ban him for 1 year, the girl might be comfortable, the next year she's not. She's the victim, the dude needs to be done with EVO for good.

It's not fair otherwise.
 

Sami+

Member
I was just making fun of the people calling for Smash to be totally removed from EVO, CEO etc. I think lifetime ban for first offense is over the top, especially compared to other gaming organizations such as the NFL, but I don't care too much either way on that issue. I just think people in this thread need to get a clue about the reality of the situation.

You need to get a clue about the reality of sexual assault.
 

kpeezy

Banned
You need to get a clue about the reality of sexual assault.

Do you crusaders know the punishment for sexual assault first offense in any other competition in the United States? 1 year first offense is very strict by comparison. Let alone the punishment in the court of law, a fine and registered as a sex offender, no jailtime. This was the absolute most mild form of sexual harassment out there and it is specifically given lower punishments in the courts compared to sexual assault involving penetration, etc.
 
I was just making fun of the people calling for Smash to be totally removed from EVO, CEO etc. I think lifetime ban for first offense is over the top, especially compared to other gaming organizations such as the NFL, but I don't care too much either way on that issue. I just think people in this thread need to get a clue about the reality of the situation.

My response is that it's kind of weird to downplay something on account of it being a first offense. Like if it turned out he was doing the gaming equivalent of doping (like taking adderall I guess?) to cheat, I'd agree that a lifetime ban is disproportionate to the crime. But I don't really agree that this applies to something this serious. There's not a ton of precedent for this. I'm not saying there's no time to collect ourselves and attempt to evaluate this fairly. But it seems somewhat dismissive to regard this as only a first offense.
 

Draxal

Member
Usually they don't put lifetime bans in real sports as an independent arbitrator will side with the banned parties (don't like depriving people a shot at their income).

I doubt there's ever be a need for a real independent arbitrator for e-sports at this case, however since e-sports are in their infancy, it's really the wild west here.
 

Sami+

Member
Do you crusaders know the punishment for sexual assault first offense in any other competition in the United States? 1 year first offense is very strict by comparison.

No it's not, and NFL players getting away with murder has literally nothing at all to do with his fighting game tournaments should be run.
 

kpeezy

Banned
My response is that it's kind of weird to downplay something on account of it being a first offense. Like if it turned out he was doing the gaming equivalent of doping (like taking adderall I guess?) to cheat, I'd agree that a lifetime ban is disproportionate to the crime. But I don't really agree that this applies to something this serious. There's not a ton of precedent for this. I'm not saying there's no time to collect ourselves and attempt to evaluate this fairly. But it seems somewhat dismissive to regard this as only a first offense.

There is a shit ton of precedence for this, what would make you say otherwise? Every major sport has precedent and regulations for this specific offense and 1 year ban first offense is very stiff in comparison to most.
 

diaspora

Member
Oh lord, do you want to be downplaying him sexually assaulting someone? Is that the hill your going to die on?

Other sports' punishments aren't good enough in the first place.
 

Ferr986

Member
people apparently value somebody's ability to continue playing a video game over other peoples' interest in not getting sexually assaulted

and for the lunkheads in here, her not pressing charges does not mean that what he did is forgiven or condoned.

I don't get it, people are like "you are ruining his life" just for banning him for friggin videogame tournaments. It's not like he is getting banned from working anywhere and throw him into poverty.

Tournaments are his income now, so what? people get kicked from his jobs and find another one.
 

kpeezy

Banned
Oh lord, do you want to be downplaying him sexually assaulting someone? Is that the hill your going to die on?

Other sports' punishments aren't good enough in the first place.

I already said I don't care if he receives a lifetime punishment or not, I'm saying people need to stop being dickheads towards the smash TOs doing what they thought was right and in accordance with existing policies for this exact scenario in other national level sports.
 

Sami+

Member
Oh lord, do you want to be downplaying him sexually assaulting someone? Is that the hill your going to die on?

Other sports' punishments aren't good enough in the first place.

Dude it was just the first offense no big deal she can get over it in a year

/s
 

diaspora

Member
I already said I don't care if he receives a lifetime punishment or not, I'm saying people need to stop being dickheads towards the smash TOs doing what they thought was right and in accordance with existing policies for this exact scenario in other national level sports.
They're being deservedly being raked over the coals for recommending a largely inconsequential punishment for the severity of the act.

Even putting aside the punitive aspect of it, a one year punishment is bad for both player safety and PR.
 

Veldin

Member
Do you crusaders know the punishment for sexual assault first offense in any other competition in the United States? 1 year first offense is very strict by comparison. Let alone the punishment in the court of law, a fine and registered as a sex offender, no jailtime. This was the absolute most mild form of sexual harassment out there and it is specifically given lower punishments in the courts compared to sexual assault involving penetration, etc.

This isn't a game. He sexually molested someone in the Smash community. He stuck his hands up her shirt and down her pants while she was asleep, twice. Other people saw it happen and he himself admitted to it.

And you would rather see him assault another girl before you decide to shut him out? Take a moment to reconsider who and what you're defending.
 
There is a shit ton of precedence for this, what would make you say otherwise? Every major sport has precedent and regulations for this specific offense and 1 year ban first offense is very stiff in comparison to most.

Other sports I don't think provide a direct analog here. Athletes in major sports are much more in the spotlight. There's much more public pressure for criminal proceedings when applicable. There are lawyers involved on both sides of the issue as there are contracts worth millions of dollars at play. The FGC is under much more scrutiny to police this kind of thing themselves as it's a group in its infancy with no central regulatory board. They can't just look at how another professional sports body would handle it and go from there.

Also, stop this:

This was the absolute most mild form of sexual harassment out there
 

guek

Banned
Do you crusaders know the punishment for sexual assault first offense in any other competition in the United States? 1 year first offense is very strict by comparison. Let alone the punishment in the court of law, a fine and registered as a sex offender, no jailtime. This was the absolute most mild form of sexual harassment out there and it is specifically given lower punishments in the courts compared to sexual assault involving penetration, etc.
This isn't harassment, it's at minimum sexual battery which is a felony in Nevada.
 

Rudiano

Banned
No. And that's not your decision to make, nor anyone else's. If SHE wants to press charges then she should, if she doesn't then that's the end of that matter.

How his participation in the community is handled is an entirely separate matter, and an indefinite ban is the only solution that makes any sense. It's as disappointing as it is completely fucking mind-boggling that anyone could argue against this[/B].

Its not your decision to make, nor anyone else's here asking for a lifetime ban (which wouldnt be that harsh). The guys at Smash did what they deemed right and gave him a 1 year ban
 

kpeezy

Banned
Other sports I don't think provide a direct analog here. Athletes in major sports are much more in the spotlight. There's much more public pressure for criminal proceedings when applicable. There are lawyers involved on both sides of the issue as there are contracts worth millions of dollars at play. The FGC is under much more scrutiny to police this kind of thing themselves as it's a group in its infancy with no central regulatory board. They can't just look at how another professional sports body would handle it and go from there.

Also, stop this:

I won't stop that. I said that because I actually read the sexual assualt laws in the state of Nevada and groping is specifically listed as an offense that would receive a lesser punishment. Also, you are just typing BS without thinking it seems - "There's much more public pressure for criminal proceedings when applicable." I hope you're not serious. Please look into the history of sexual assualt and domestic violence in major sports.
 
Do you crusaders know the punishment for sexual assault first offense in any other competition in the United States? 1 year first offense is very strict by comparison. Let alone the punishment in the court of law, a fine and registered as a sex offender, no jailtime.

A couple things:
- Why does it seem like you're defending Hyouga in all of this?

- Regardless of what every other governing body for sport/entertainment does, it shouldn't be a precedent that the FGC/Smash players should live by. This is a "new" form of entertainment and the rules for conduct are still being established as we go. Setting the tone for allowing this type of behavior will do nothing but tarnish the image that the FGC is striving to achieve.

This was the absolute most mild form of sexual harassment out there and it is specifically given lower punishments in the courts compared to sexual assault involving penetration, etc.

Now it seems like you're downplaying this completely.

Its not your decision to make, nor anyone else's here asking for a lifetime ban (which wouldnt be that harsh). The guys at EVO did what they deemed right and gave him a 1 year ban

The guys from Evo haven't made a statement yet. The folks that organize Smash tournaments did. I expect something harsher from Wizard.
 
What Hafu drama? Was this pre-Hearthstone? I only know her from hearthstone arena and she seems fairly respected

I don't know if someone already answered you, but when Hafu first started playing Hearthstone she was dating another Hearthstone player. They ended up breaking up, a lot of drama resulted around that - tournament organizers pairing them up specifically, for example. But then she had nudes leak on to the internet which - along with other things - caused her to drop from tournament play altogether for a long time.
 
Do you crusaders know the punishment for sexual assault first offense in any other competition in the United States? 1 year first offense is very strict by comparison. Let alone the punishment in the court of law, a fine and registered as a sex offender, no jailtime. This was the absolute most mild form of sexual harassment out there and it is specifically given lower punishments in the courts compared to sexual assault involving penetration, etc.

oh wow
 

Krejlooc

Banned
Do you crusaders know the punishment for sexual assault first offense in any other competition in the United States?

I know that USA Swimming banned an individual for life after a sexual assault. The first one, no less. Shock and awe.

And you shouldn't be pointing to the NFL for your moral compass.

And your "knowledge" on jail time sentences for first-time sexual assault is a joke. yes, I know what a first time offender can get (in a remarkably similar circumstance, no less) - 5 years served, 10 probation afterwards. Trust me, I fucking know.

This was the absolute most mild form of sexual harassment out there

You are disgusting and so extremely goddamn ignorant.
 

guek

Banned
Here's some more info so kpeezy can stop spreading misinformation

Like many states, Nevada refers to rape as sexual assault. Sexual battery is essentially physical force used by someone who intends to commit sexual assault. Battery is defined by Nevada law as “any willful and unlawful use of force or violence” upon another person. (Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 200.400.) A person who uses force or violence against another with the intent to commit sexual assault upon the victim may be convicted of a felony.

A person convicted of battery with intent to commit sexual assault that does not result in substantial bodily harm to the victim faces a minimum sentence of two years and a maximum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. (Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 200.400 (4)(b).)

source
 

Dremark

Banned
I was just making fun of the people calling for Smash to be totally removed from EVO, CEO etc. I think lifetime ban for first offense is over the top, especially compared to other gaming organizations such as the NFL, but I don't care too much either way on that issue. I just think people in this thread need to get a clue about the reality of the situation.

There were people that wanted smash removed prior to this anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of them are the people calling for it now.
 
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