Dominique "SonicFox" McLean, one of the most successful competitive gamers of all time and a five-time Evolution Championship Series champion, said Thursday that they would not participate in Evo this year amid sexual misconduct allegations against Evo's co-founder and president, Joey "MrWizard" Cuellar, who has been placed on administrative leave.
"I can not in good conscience participate in an event with the allegations of one the primary hosts of said event. It just doesn't sit right with me," SonicFox told ESPN.
SonicFox made the announcement on Twitter on Thursday, simply stating they won't be participating in Evo.
Also I won't be participating any longer in Evo online.
- SonicFox 1312 (@SonicFox) July 2, 2020
Evo placed Cuellar on administrative leave on Thursday pending a third-party investigation as a result of the allegations publicly levied against him. On Wednesday, a Twitter user accused Cuellar of inappropriate behavior toward him and other boys during the 1990s and 2000s.
Late Thursday, Cuellar posted a statement on Twitter in which he apologized for his actions. The statement read: "I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt anyone. I was young and reckless and did things I'm not proud of. I have been growing and maturing over the past 20 years, but that doesn't excuse anything. All I have been trying to do is become a better person. Once again, I'm truly sorry."
The allegations against Cuellar come amid a slew of accusations against others in the fighting game community for sexual abuse.
SonixFox also tweeted support to those in the community who have been speaking up, saying, "It has to get worse before it gets better. Commending the bravery of everyone in the community right now. You have my support."
Other members of the fighting game community also announced Thursday that they would not participate in Evo in light of the allegations against Cuellar, including major developers like Capcom, NetherRealm Studios and Bandai Namco and casters Stephen "Sajam" Lyon, Steve "Tasty Steve" Scott and James Chen. FGC-focused organizations such as EQNX Gaming and Brutal Democracy also decided to boycott Evo. Derek "Nakkiel" Bruscas, Steve "Lord Knight" Barthelemy and Jachin "SuperKawiiDesu" Harte are among several competitors in the fighting game community who tweeted that they would not be participating in Evo in their respective titles.
SonicFox, who signed with Evil Geniuses in March, is the defending Evo champion in Mortal Kombat 11.
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