An esports league is facing controversy over a tweet posted hours after a mass shooting in Jacksonville, Florida, that left at least four dead and 11 injured. The shooting took place at a Madden NFL 19 tournament while the event was being live streamed.
According to the Los Angeles Times, competitor Steven “Steveyj” Javaruski told them that “the shooter was a gamer who was competing in the tournament and lost.” In the wake of this tragedy many gaming communities have shared their sympathy for those in Jacksonville. One such company was the ESL (Electronic Sports League), who are the world’s largest esports origination.
We are saddened by today’s tragedy in Jacksonville, Florida. There is no place for this sort of violence. Our deepest condolences go out to those affected by today’s events.
At 5:07 p.m. that main ESL account posted about the shooting and 3 minutes later the official ESL Counter-Strike account responded with a video sound effect saying “Monster Kill.”
The tweet in question was quickly deleted and ESL’s VP of Marketing, Kai Kienzle, stated that the account was reportedly hacked. ESL’s main account quickly responded with a tweet of their own condemning the tweet.
The post by ESLCS today was an unauthorized use of this account. In no way does it reflect ESL’s position on today’s tragedy and we are urgently investigating.
Kienzle elaborated further and explained this was a fresh login and that none of the ESL team works in this location. Their staff in Cologne, Germany were the first to see the tweet and immediately deleted it. He goes on and states that the tweet in question was “disgusting.” ESL is continuing their investigation into the hacked account, but for now it’s locked.
For more information on this tragic shooting, visit our in depth coverage here.