Valorant star keznit apologizes to Brazilian community for alleged racist comment
Jianhua Chen/Riot GamesIn a statement on Twitter, Leviatán Valorant player Angelo ‘keznit’ Mori apologized for the alleged racist comment he made in February against a Brazilian player.
Back in February, keznit called then-Gamelander Blue player Douglas ‘dgzin’ Silva the “CJ of VALORANT” during a practice session in a reference to the Black character from the videogame ‘Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas’. dgzin is a Black man.
keznit and his team at the time, KRÜ Esports, were temporarily banned from the Brazilian practice server, with the player also sanctioned by his organization and Riot Games.
The developer suspended the Chilean player for one series in the Valorant Champions Tour and placed him on a six-month probation. It also stipulated that he had to take a professionalism course.
In keznit’s statement on October 28, he apologized to the Brazilian community and said for the next in-game act he will only play the game on the Brazilian server.
“I’ve been reflecting a lot about everything that has happened over these last two years of Valorant,” he wrote in Portuguese. “I’ve had many joys and many sorrows. Injustices have been done and I have also made mistakes. That’s why I wanted to publicly apologize to all the players, organizations, and fans of the Brazilian community. Regardless of the circumstances, I think this is the moment to show maturity and humility and to accept that I have made mistakes. I promise I will never make them again.
keznit’s Valorant career since his alleged racist comments
After Riot Games made its ruling, KRÜ Esports released its own statement saying the punishment was too harsh considering the harassment keznit received online after his comments were made public.
Overall, keznit had a successful 2022 season after serving his one-series ban in a March 12 series against Leviatán. With KRÜ Esports, the Latin American star player made all three international tournaments and placed in the top 10 at VCT Stage 2 Masters Copenhagen.
In the offseason, keznit signed with Leviatán, another VCT Americas partner, for the 2023 season. The squad will compete at the upcoming VCT Kickoff tournament in São Paulo, Brazil, in February 2023.
