Cover-Credits:
Fortnite pro Evan "Cented" Barron and FaZe Clan have parted ways after the player was caught using a racial slur during a livestream. A video clip of Cented saying the N-word has been doing the rounds on social media which likely caused FaZe to take this decision. The 19-year-old Fortnite pro player became one of the biggest names in the esports scene of the game and joined FaZe Clan in March 2021. On 3rd July, Cented joined a voice chat and immediately greeted a fellow streamer, who was live on their stream, with a racial slur.
The date on the clip suggests that this incident happened almost six months ago on 28th December 2021.
FaZe Clan takes action against Cented
FaZe was swift to take action against Cented after the clip of him saying the N-word on a fellow player’s stream went viral. The organization made it clear that it does not tolerate hate speech and discriminatory language. “FaZe is constantly evolving and we expect our members to do the same. Cented is permanently removed from FaZe due to his use of hate speech. We, and the gaming community at large can’t tolerate discriminatory language any longer,” stated FaZe on Twitter,
However, according to Cented, the decision to part ways was reportedly mutual. He apologized on social media and said, “I’m sorry guys. No longer with FaZe, mutually parted ways with them, I made a mistake and there's no excuses, will only try and do better.”
Cented issues statement
Cented followed up the apology with a longer statement issued via a Twitlonger. He wrote, “Rage tweeted some things, sent some angry DMs. I think I lost myself at the height of my success, in the pursuit of greatness. I’m sorry for letting you all down. I said something for shock factor… something that should never be said, and I am deeply sorry.”
Cented claimed that he is not racist but chose to allow a racial slur to enter his vocabulary. He apologized for his “deep disrespect” and for disregarding the true nature and the history of the word he had used. “My willful ignorance is inexcusable.”
This is not the first time the Canadian streamer has had problems with toxicity on stream. Epic Games issued a warning to Cented over a year ago. The pro player reportedly received an in-game warning from Epic Games for harassment (toxicity). According to Sportskeeda, Cented allegedly trash-talked a kid in Fortnite and called him names before saying “Fortnite was bad.”
Notably, in 2020, FaZe Clan announced that Fortnite player Daniel “Dubs” Walsh was suspended indefinitely after allegedly using a racist slur during another player’s stream. In a statement, the organization said, “Due to his actions, we are suspending Dubs indefinitely from representing FaZe Clan while in professional competition, streaming, or posting on his social channels. We are requiring Dubs to go through sensitivity training and proactively requiring all FaZe Clan members to go through sensitivity training immediately.”
However, Dubs continues to be a part of FaZe Clan and many in the Fortnite community have pointed out the difference in treatment of the two players, who made the same mistake on stream. Esports personalities, streamers, and players alike have reacted strongly to this development.
After parting ways with FaZe, Cented’s future in Fortnite seems bleak at the moment.
