Overwatch League faces more controversy following sexual harassment charges

Elizabeth Alexander, Trending Editor

The Overwatch League and its professional athletes have grabbed the attention of hundreds of thousands, raking in views from all over the world, but not just because of professional gameplay.

The OWL has seen plenty of discourse over the past few months it has been active, and is currently in its third stage of match gameplay. First, the community was up in arms about previous tank player for Dallas Fuel, Felix “xQc” Lengyel, and his termination over toxic behavior and a racist meme. Now the attention has shifted to Jonathan “DreamKazper” Sanchez, whose contract with The Boston Uprising has been terminated due to allegations of sexual conduct with a female minor.

“He abused his power as a player to coerce me into sending him nude pictures and engaging in explicit facetime activities,” wrote the victim, according to WHDH Boston News.

Since the release of the allegations, Sanchez was suspended before being terminated from his position.

“The Boston Uprising has terminated the contract of Jonathan “DreamKazper” Sanchez,” The Boston Uprising tweeted.

The current OWL community and its fans are noting the problematic behavior springing up in the league, and have mixed reactions. Many are in favor are punishing Sanchez, but others think that perhaps the OWL is being a little harsh.

The OWL’s recent player policy “Play Nice, Play Fair” — in reference to a quote from Overwatch’s damage hero Fareeha “Pharah” Amari — is one that is widely debated. Regardless, the OWL continues on with its stages and matches without missing a beat. April 18 marks the start of week four of stage three, and soon following in its lead with be stage four, play-offs, grand finales, and finally all-star weekend.

Following the termination of Sanches, OWL has made an offering to give patrons of “Dreamkazper” jerseys an opportunity to replace their shirts in exchange for a jersey for a different player, and as of now, Sanchez’s contract has been terminated and there is no news of him joining another team.