The Boston Uprising has terminated the contract of player Jonathan “DreamKazper” Sanchez following allegations of sexual misconduct from two underage girls.
The Overwatch League announced in a tweet on Sunday, April 8, that player Jonathan “DreamKazper” Sanchez, a member of the Boston Uprising team, had been suspended from the league indefinitely. According to Eurogamer, the suspension followed allegations that Sanchez had engaged in sexual misconduct involving a minor.
Over the weekend, a 14-year-old high school freshman named “Lily” alleged that Sanchez — currently 21 — coerced her into sending him explicit pictures and engaging in explicit video chats.
Lily alleged in a letter posted on Google Docs that after striking up a friendship with her over Twitter, Sanchez began playing Overwatch with Lily online. She also claimed he was aware of her age but began making sexual remarks which eventually turned into explicit video chats.
“I’m stepping forward to hope this doesn’t happen to anyone in the future. [Sanchez] should have known better [than] to engage in explicit activity with someone seven years younger than him, especially when he represents a team. He used his social status to blind and take advantage of me,” Lily added in the post, which also included screen captures from her phone that show explicit remarks, as well as proof she had used the app FaceTime with Sanchez.
Prior to his eventual firing, the Boston Uprising released its own statement once the allegations were made public.
“We take all allegations of this nature very seriously and as a result [Sanchez] has been suspended from the Boston Uprising indefinitely,” the team said. “We will not be commenting any further while we investigate the matter.”
A short time later, Heavy reported that a second girl, 16 years old, alleged Sanchez also pressured her into engaging in explicit activity, including sending nude pictures.
The allegations are the latest in a growing list of controversies affecting The Overwatch League since it began a few months ago. Philadelphia Fusion player Josh Corona was recently suspended for three games and fined $3,000 after making a racially insensitive gesture during a live-stream. In January, Felix Lengyel of the Dallas Fuel was suspended for making a homophobic remark to an openly gay player on the Houston Outlaws. The team parted ways with Lengyel in March.
Back in November, San Francisco Shock manager Max Bateman was fired from the team after a woman alleged he had sexually assaulted and drugged her. Bateman denied the allegations, claiming he had already spoken to a detective regarding the matter.
Updated on April 10: Added news of allegations from a second person, as well as info on Sanchez’ termination from the Boston Uprising.
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