For the past year or so the Super Smash Bros. pro community has been rocked by scandal. In July 2020, the community became aware of an alleged sexual relationship between Nairoby Quezada, screen name “Nairo” and Zack Lauth, screen name “Secretary.” At the time these alleged events occurred Zack was only 15 years of age while Nairoby was 20. However, since the initial scandal came out, several statements have alleged Nairoby was an entirely unwilling participant in these sexual encounters. While Nairoby was initially banned from Super Smash Bros. tournaments, he has since been allowed to return.
Involved in the scandal was number 5 player, Salem. Salem’s part in the scandal is documented in several discord screenshots shared by Zack where he described in detail the alleged incident. In the screenshots Salem appeared to be encouraging the sexual contact between the minor (Zack) and the adult (Nairoby). Back in July Salem released a statement where he claimed he was unaware of the age difference, however, his competition backer MVG effectively suspended Salem’s participation in tournaments under its sponsorship. MVG also invested in psychiatric therapy for Salem as a means of rehabilitation, announcing they will later reassess him before further competition involvement.
Now, months later, esports consultant “Cagt” released a twitter statement that any events run by him or his colleagues would not allow Salem’s participation. The consultant behind the ban has been involved with several prominent Smash tournaments, including EVO which was held online last year. The period of this ban is indefinite, and Salem responded to this with a statement of his own. In his most recent statement Salem claimed he was not the only one at fault and that friends closer to Zack knew more about the situation and did nothing. The recent statement also revealed screenshots of conversations with MattyG, another adult in the Smash community who allegedly was sexually involved with Zack. In these screenshots MattyG threatens to release videos of Salem providing Zack with alcohol as a minor.
In response to these latest developments, arguments are raging on about whether Salem’s ban is fair. The tournament leader suggested that despite any therapy Salem receives he will still be banned.
It is understandable why members of the community might want to enforce this blanket ban. Cagt’s Twitter account indicates his true belief in building a safe community for Smash players, and its clear any steps taken by him and his fellow competition runners are well-meaning. Hopefully soon the Smash Bros. community can return to making news headlines for more wholesome reasons.
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