Roster Update: Yasser "Escanor" Alotaibi will be joining Team Liquid Overwatch as an Emergency Sub in the flex support role. We have full confidence in Escanor’s ability to step into this role and support the team.
Welcome @EscanorOw 🌊
No excuses from me. I was raised in a Bengali household in America. I myself have experienced racism myself not only in America but in other countries as well. Therefore I should know that using such offensive language is terrible and not something that should be said so casually. It's a horrendous mistake on my part. I don't consider myself a hateful person, and always enjoy meeting new people regardless of their background.
Sorry to all who supported me. I take responsibility for my mistakes and will go on a break to reflect and work on myself.
Today, one of our Overwatch players used an anti-Black racial slur in the chat during a scrim. To the Black players, fans, and members of our community this affected: I'm sorry. I want to be unequivocal in condemning the language he used. There is no place for it in our game, in our community, or in this organization.
We began looking into the incident the moment it was brought to our attention. After a thorough review, we have decided to release Rupal and remove him from our Overwatch roster.
When we bring a player into Team Liquid, our expectation is that they represent themselves and us at the highest levels of professionalism; on stage, online, and in every space where they carry our name. We have each and every player go through media training, communication training, and sensitivity training in an attempt to educate them about the meaning of words and the weight they carry. We believe in that process and hold everyone who represents Team Liquid to that same standard. But today it was not enough, and we take that seriously. We will be reviewing our onboarding and retraining process. It's clear we need additional accountability structures implemented. Not just as a reaction to this incident, but as an ongoing commitment to the communities that make our games worth playing.
Team Liquid has always tried to build something bigger than wins and losses. That means holding ourselves accountable when we fall short, and it means being honest with our community rather than hiding behind vague language. What happened today was wrong, and we felt we owed you a clear response.
We also recognize that Rupal is a leader in NA's Overwatch scene, but he is also a young person who made a serious mistake in a very public way. We hope this becomes a moment of genuine reflection and growth for him. Not the end of his story, but a turning point in it. We wish him well.
Steve, Co-CEO
Some familiar faces are back for another shot at World Cup glory 🏆
You can see them in action TONIGHT for trials at 8PM ET/5PM PT on https://t.co/F7R333vViL!
Zeruhh doubt in our minds that TL is looking strong as a TR33. All these Coluge-iate players work well together - there's no chance they'll get Infekted this stage💪 (Vega Rupal)
How do we think @TeamLiquid will fare when #OWCS2026 kicks off on Mar 21?
New Plat Chat premiering with @Raelyni co-hosting and @RupalZaman & @VegaOverwatch stopping by to chat pre-season bootcamp and their scrims with the new heroes.
This one definitely changed my perception on a few things.
Also covered: was the Coluge caloric deficit overstated?
Team Liquid and Winthrop are on a Colugion course.
Welcome our newest pickup on Team Liquid Overwatch: @CucumberColuge 🌊💙
Coluge will be joining us as we expand to 6 player roster. So excited for OWCS2026 #LETSGOLIQUID