Leviatán Responds to Allegations Against VCT Pro
In 2024, the Argentinean powerhouse team Leviatán reached the prestigious VALORANT Champions 2024: Seoul. Leviatán is currently competing in the tournament and may even progress to playoffs. The team is nearing the pinnacle of esports success, and with over 141,000 Twitch followers, pro player Mazino is one of its most well-known personalities. Major companies including Visa, KFC and G-Shock sponsor him and his team.
On August 8, 2024, Mazino's ex-girlfriend raised allegations against the pro player including physical abuse. These allegations have sparked consideration about how Leviatán should respond during a high-stakes world tournament. As of August 9, 2024, Leviatán and Mazino have released statements about the claims. Here's what the involved parties are saying, and what we know.
Who is Mazino and what allegations did Mazino's ex-girlfriend make against him?
Mazino is a 23-year-old Chilean pro VALORANT and former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player signed to Leviatán's VALORANT team. He is currently participating in VALORANT Champions Tour 2024: Seoul, the most prestigious VALORANT tournament a team can play in.
On August 8, 2024, professional VALORANT player and Mazino's ex-girlfriend Syuz posted a Twitter thread about their past relationship. Mazino and Syuz dated approximately three years ago. In the thread, she begins by saying "I didn't want to leave without saying everything I've been keeping to myself for a long time. Mazino abused me psychologically, physically and verbally, as confirmed by a complaint and a psychologist."
No quería irme sin decir todo lo que llevo guardado por mucho tiempo.
— Syuz (@suwusss_) August 8, 2024
Mazino me hizo maltrato psicológico, físico y verbal, comprobado por una denuncia y psicóloga.
Siempre mostré que todo estaba bien cuando por dentro solo eran peleas todos los días sin parar con golpes en +
The tweet has since received over 2 million views. Syuz goes on to allege that she and Mazino had "fights every day without stopping." She alleges that during these fights, Mazino would hit walls, hit anything in his path and grab her arms hard enough to leave marks on her. Syuz details further incidents in the thread and claims this was "happening in [Mazino's] own home with [his] whole family there." In the thread, Syuz laments the relationship, saying "I made many mistakes and I cannot deny that, especially when I wanted to idealize that the relationship would continue, thinking that one day you would change your anger attacks that you never wanted to admit."
Syuz also alleged Mazino was receiving pictures from other women during their relationship and became violent on at least one occasion when confronted about it. Another VALORANT streamer, @skatelyn, responded to Syuz's post and alleged she had met up with Mazino who had been "touchy" and pressured her into hooking up after she said no. Syuz reposted this tweet after it was published.
If true, these events are horrific and could seriously affect Leviatán's reputation and Mazino's career.
How is Mazino responding to the abuse allegations?
Quiero expresarme sobre mi relación de hace 3 años. Fue un tiempo difícil y complicado para ambos y lamento todo lo que hice mal y haber generado el malestar que generé. Ambos cometimos errores y nuestras acciones no siempre fueron tan solidarias o comprensivas como debería haber…
— Mazino (@Mazinofps) August 9, 2024
Mazino responded to the allegations on Twitter at 7:07 AM EST on August 8, 2024. In his response, he states:
"I want to express myself about my relationship from 3 years ago. It was a difficult and complicated time for both of us and I regret everything I did wrong and for having created the discomfort I did. We both made mistakes and our actions were not always as supportive or understanding as they should have been between us[...]"
Mazino continues to state he has "been working on improving myself and becoming a better person" and is "committed to learning from this experience [to prevent] something like this from happening again." He ends the statement by apologizing to his current girlfriend Nicole for "this whole situation that she is also going through."
At 7:21 AM EST, Mazino followed the initial statement with another tweet which reads:
"Regarding the doubts about what happened with my ex-girlfriend, there were complicated situations in which both of us were a part, but it did not reach the point of physical abuse as she reflects, nor have I been notified of any complaint."
How is Leviatán responding to Mazino's abuse allegations?
— LEVIATAN (@LeviatanGG) August 9, 2024
On August 9, 2024, Leviatán released an official statement responding to the accusations on Twitter. Translated to English, the statement reads: "In light of the events that have emerged on social media involving one of our players, we at LEVIATAN would like to inform you that we are aware of the situation and will take the appropriate measures."
Leviatán have not elaborated on any findings, or what measures specifically they will take. If the allegations are proven false, it's possible nothing will happen. If they are true, Mazino could lose his spot on the roster or face serious punishment. The team will likely provide an update on the situation in upcoming days.
GABBY DESENA