[UPDATE: Head of Esports for League of Legends in EMEA Maximilian Peter Schmidt issued the below statement with regards to rumors about Rodriguez:]
Riot Gameshas reportedly blacklisted former professionalLeague of Legendsplayer and G2 Esports owner Carlos “Ocelote” Rodriguez, following his recent controversy. Rodriguez has been an active member of theLeague of Legendscommunity and the world of esports as a whole for over a decade since his professional debut in 2010. During his professional career,Rodriguez would found G2 Esportswhich would become one of the biggest organizations in competitive gaming. Now, he finds himself blacklisted by theLeague of Legendscreators.
The confirmation of Rodriguez’s blacklisting came during a recent stream from Spanish esports show EsportsManiacos on Twitch. Host Yuste “Inyustificado” Armero confirmed the blacklisting during his segment with an insider reportedly confirming thatRiot Gameshad informed G2 of the esports owner’s blacklisting. The incident has also seen Rodriguez being required to sell his stakes in G2 Esports, shortly after G2 announced his resignation from the position of CEO.
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The blacklisting comes as G2 Esports has already begun to feel the effects of the fallout from the controversy. Rodriguez’s public controversy was heavily linked in the decision to reject G2 Esports' application to join the newly-instated partners program forRiot’s competitive shooterValorant. According to EsportsManiacos, Riot was also heavily involved with the decision to remove Rodriguez from G2 Esports. The move was reportedly a condition from Riot in order for G2 to retain its spot in Europe’s professionalLeague of Legendscircuit, the LEC.
Rodriguez’s high-profile resignation from G2 Esports and the repercussions on the organization stems from a video the formerLeague of Legendspro uploaded to his social media. The video posted to Rodriguez’s Twitter shows the G2 owner partying withthe controversial Andrew Tate, who has seen bans on multiple social media platforms. Rodriguez would double down on his decision to party with Tate, claiming others cannot “police his friendships.” However, as a result of the ensuing backlash against both himself and G2 Esports, Rodriguez later issued an apology through his Twitter.
Rodriguez’s resignation from G2 Esports and blacklisting from Riot Games comes as a controversial end to an illustrious career. His retirement from professionalLeague of Legendsin 2015 preceded an era that would see G2 Esports branch out into multiple different games likeCounter-Strike: Global OffensiveandRocket League. G2 would appear multiple times atLeague of Legends' World Championshipsincluding a Top 4 finish in 2020 and a Finals appearance in 2019. Rodriguez’s resignation will look to close the book on a controversial chapter for G2 as an organization.
