Overwatch player fired from his team after saying racial slurs

Fights? maybe. Bad words? can be overlooked. But racism? There’s no tolerance with that in esports, and that’s what this player from Toronto Esports now knows after paying the price.

Matt “Dellor” Vaughn has been dropped from Toronto Esports for “breach of contract,” the team confirmed yesterday. While livestreaming on Twitch, Dellor repeatedly used racist language in response to a teammate’s taunting remark.

“Toronto Esports is an organization built on inclusivity, and we have always had a zero-tolerance policy for any forms of discrimination,” said Toronto Esports president Ryan Pallett. “Immediately upon learning of the incident, the player was interviewed, admitted to the offence, and was notified that his contract with the organization was being terminated.”

The player will retire from the entirety of Esports. He went on to comment on the issue saying “I am quitting esports with no intention of returning, not that I could after this,This is still a wakeup call, regardless. I’ve destroyed too many things and hurt too many people in my life because of my personality. Whether it’s just a character flaw or if I actually do have some sort of mental issue, I’ve waited too long to find out.”

This serves as a lesson to all players in the industry, and an important one at that. Competitive gaming should be about fair plays and sportsmanship, with no place for discrimination or intolerance against people of color.