Ex-Overwatch pro leaks OWL email fining him $1,000 for Pepe meme

Former Overwatch League pro Ted ‘Silkthread’ Wang leaked an email he was sent that fined him for posting about Pepe the Frog on Twitter during a July 23 Twitch stream.

Back in season one of the league, in an attempt to improve his “Twitter game,” Silkthread tweeted, “Does anyone else love Pepe the frog?”

Shortly after doing so, the social media manager for his team, the Los Angeles Valiant, demanded he delete the tweet immediately.

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While he did so, his remark didn’t go unnoticed by the Overwatch League, who fined the player a whopping $1,000 for the post. Fortunately, he was able to appeal the fine, and claimed he was unaware of the green frog’s alleged connection as a “hate symbol.”

Now, years later, the DPS player has leaked the email that the league sent him accusing him of “posting support for a racist meme.”

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The email called Silkthread’s tweet “unacceptable” and a “violation of the spirit of diversity and inclusiveness that makes Overwatch great.”

It continued to stress that he would be fined $1,000, but had the option to appeal, which he did. According to the player, he paid a $60 Uber to go to Burbank so he could dispute the fine.

However, the streamer now wishes he had just paid the fine.

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“Thinking back, it probably would have been smarter to take the fine,” he said. “It would be pretty f**king cool to ‘legacized’ and the person that got fined for tweeting about Pepe the Frog. That would be pretty epic.”

Since Silkthread’s fine, it does seem like the league has decided to ease up their stance on Pepe memes. Dallas Fuel hitscan player Dylan ‘aKm’ Bignet was allowed to post a birthday Pepe back in December 2019.

Regardless, it’s strange to still think the league took such a strict stance against the meme, considering its popularity on Twitch and internet culture as a whole.

Hopefully, the league rethinks its position on Pepe completely once homestands start up again in season 4.