Retired Overwatch League player Caleb "McGravy" McGarvey announced on Twitter that he has closed his DM’s after receiving death threats due to his public support for Cleo “cle0h” Hernandez. She accused former OWL MVP Jay “sinatraa” Won of sexual assault and abuse in a Twitter post on Tuesday.
cle0h accused sinatraa of committing acts of sexual assault and domestic abuse while they dated over a nine-month period that ended part-way through 2020. As a result of the allegations, sinatraa was suspended by the Sentinels and Riot Games, while they carry out investigations into the claims. sinatraa denied the allegations of wrongdoing in a Twitlonger and said that he will fully cooperate with the investigations.
McGravy was one of the earliest Overwatch community figures to publicly support cle0h after her initial announcement. He said in a reply on Tuesday, “Holy shit, I am so sorry you had to go through all of that Cleo. You have my absolute support.”
While the tweet received a lot of positive feedback, it also elicited some disturbing and negative feedback, including death threats according to McGravy.
“Turning off my DM’s,” McGravy said in a post on Wednesday “I appreciate the people saying nice things, but I just can’t stand the death threats.”
He said in a follow-up tweet, “While it sucks, can you imagine what Cleo has to go through right now? I’m just getting a small dose of what she is getting right now. She absolutely needs our full support."
McGravy is a key figure in the Overwatch community. Not only was he a pro player and is a current coach for the NA Contenders team Dark Mode, he also won the 2020 Hawelka Award which is given out to a player who has displayed excellence in community leadership and service.
He briefly broke into mainstream culture in 2020, when he made a parody of Halsey’s D.Va cosplay that was retweeted by the artist.
Esports community shows support to cle0h after sinatraa abuse allegations
In addition to McGravy, a number of other Overwatch influencers and organizations have made their support for cle0h's story known. Here are some of the most notable voices to stand with cle0h.
The Overwatch League responds:
“The Overwatch League is aware of allegations made against former player Jay 'sinatraa' Won. We take any allegations of this nature seriously and unequivocally support victims of abuse.”
In the same statement, the league announced that they will be refunding 200 League Tokens to anyone who bought the MVP skin and requests one. They also will alter the skin itself, keeping the same alien-inspired design, but removing the MVP and League Championship badges.
Washington Justice responds:
In response to Cleo’s original post, the Washington Justice tweeted out, “We admire your bravery for speaking up and coming forward about this incredibly difficult experience. Know the entire Justice team and family are here to support you.”
London Spitfire responds:
The London Spitfire put out a statement on Thursday, in which their Head of Community Oak said, “We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the news of allegations in our community. Abuse of any type in a relationship is abhorrently wrong. Parity, mutual respect, kindness, and consent are inviolable cornerstones of any relationship. . . No one should suffer in silence, or alone. Continue to speak up. We will listen.”
Spitfire also highlighted resources for women and victims of abuse in the United Kingdom, including women’s aid, galop, the Refuge National Domestic Abuse Helpline.
Jon Spector responds:
Jon Spector, VP of the Overwatch League, said on Twitter: “Reading the allegations against sinatraa was disturbing. I cannot fathom how much strength and courage it must have taken to come forward in this situation and want to add my own voice to those offering their support for victims of abuse."
Packing10 responds:
Former L.A. Valiant head coach and current GM and head coach for the Immortals VALORANT team, Mike “Packing10” Szklanny Sr., responded to one of Cleo’s follow-up tweets, saying: “We all support you Cleo!”
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Aaron is an esports reporter with a background in media, technology, and communication education.
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