Three months after Super Smash Bros. Ultimate player Nairoby “Nairo” Quezada was accused of a sexual engagement with Zack “CaptainZack” Lauth, Nairo has released a new statement disputing how the situation actually went down.
Originally on July 2nd, in the midst 100 other cases of sexual harassment and misconduct coming to light, CaptainZack released a Twitlonger saying that he and Nairo had a sexual encounter when Zack was 15 and Nairo was 20. The Twitlonger goes on to describe how Nairo and his brother had used “hush money” to pay Zack so he wouldn’t publicly reveal what had happened between them.
Nairo initially came forward with a statement and took full responsibility, apologizing to CaptainZack and insisting he would take time to find help. He was immediately dropped from NRG Esports and also banned from all tournaments by 2GGaming. On September 10th, Twitch banned and unpartnered Nairo’s account.
However, certain statements in CaptainZack’s original Twitlonger came under scrutiny, particularly when former Smash player tamim released his own statement. tamim, formerly being a close friend of CaptainZack, disputed CaptainZack’s version of some events, such as how the encounter with Nairo went down and that Nairo offered “hush money” to CaptainZack; tamim said that CaptainZack was the one to initiate asking for cash.
These conflicting statements led to more backlash against CaptainZack, and on Wednesday, Nairo reactivated his Twitter to post his first statement in three months, claiming he had been blackmailed and raped by CaptainZack:
Nairo described their encounter from his point of view, as well as how CaptainZack blackmailed him into another sexual encounter, and how Nairo ended up making several payments to CaptainZack totalling $2,625. Nairo then goes on to explain how his appointments with therapy had led him to contextualize what had happened to him.
Included in the statement were claims of a 30-page document containing evidence and the full timeline of everything that happened between him and CaptainZack. Due to legal concerns, the document wasn’t released, although prominent figures in the community such as VoiD, Cosmos and Pereden have claimed to have read it and support Nairo.
This statement is sure to add fuel to a long, complex and exhausting fire. Only time will tell what other perspectives or statements could come forth regarding what happened here, but we would all do well to keep an open mind until further evidence and statements help complete the picture.