BLAST, PGL puts their foot down following sexual assault allegations against Maniac

Allegations of sexual assault had surfaced against former professional player and talent, Maniac, reportedly occurring at an after-party during the BLAST Premier Finals in June 2024. Following the accusations, prominent tournament organizers PGL, ESL, and BLAST have all removed him from their analyst desks.

Maniac had initially stepped down from his role as a desk analyst from the ongoing ESL Pro League Season 20, when the allegations became public. Earlier in the day, a Dust2.dk report revealed that PGL have confirmed to them that PGL will not be working with Maniac moving ahead. ESL earlier had confirmed in a statement to esports.gg that they will not be working with Maniac either in the future and had been removed from the ESL Pro League Season 20 broadcast.

In an official statement, BLAST clarified that they began their investigation immediately upon receiving the complaint, and have since decided to remove Maniac from their future events as well.

We have no current plans to work with the talent member.

Behaviour of this type has no place in any setting and everyone has the right to go to events without fearing the type of conduct that has been described to us and on social media. It will not be tolerated.

BLAST