More than three months after making his last public statement, former Super Smash Bros. Rival Nairoby “Nairo” Quezada today released a video talking about his future plans.
Quezada was one of several Smash players who faced allegations and bans around sexual misconduct and predatory behavior last summer. Zack “CaptainZack” Lauth claims that Quezada started a sexual relationship with him when Quezada was 20 and he was 15.
But in the months following Lauth’s allegations, Quezada and several other people began punching holes and exposing flaws in Lauth’s story, which led to Quezada taking legal action against him, claiming that everything Lauth said about him was ‘completely false’. It included a lengthy medium post in which Quezada outlined the events of Dreamland 2017, CEO, where Lauth stayed with Quezada and began the story of sexual interactions for both parties.
Now, months later, Quezada is back and has confirmed that the lawsuit has been settled. He did not give any specific details about his legal battle, but he said the two parties had reached a ‘legal agreement’ and that he could now focus on moving on with his life.
When he spoke to move forward, he mentioned that he did not think he would return Smash or create content.
‘At one point I felt I needed to heal away from the place I used to call home, and that’s home, of course. Smash community, ”Quezada said. ‘I never saw myself competing again. I have never seen myself working with teams and sponsors again. And as much as it struggles because I really love it so much, I have never seen myself stream and make content again. ‘
But he said that changed when he received a Discord invitation from a friend on his birthday, November 7, and joined a surprising voice chat full of his old community members. Everyone wished him a happy birthday and he spent hours catching up with them and listening to stories about how he positively impacted their lives with his streams and content.
His community followed this up by sending him a book full of photos they had taken with him at various tournaments and events over the years, and also adding a personal message to it.
“After the day, I realized that if I could help make just one more person have a better day, I think it would be worth trying again,” Quezada said. With that said, I want to try streaming again. I would love to go back to play games and have fun with the community we have built, and to try to move forward. ”
Despite his hopes, he understands that the reality of his situation is still not favorable, given how long he has been away, and the situation that caused it all will lead to many people supporting or accepting him.
Quezada is also still banned on Twitch, although he has filed an appeal. He said he has always considered Twitch as his home for streaming, as he has been active on the platform for more than seven years. But if nothing changes, he will explore other options.
Quezada ended his video by talking about how he regularly attended therapy. He thanked several people who reached out to him, offered support and helped convince him to get help, and encouraged others to do so if they had access to it.
“For me, personally, I wish I had done it earlier,” Quezada said. “It’s been a big help to me since the beginning. I do not know what is happening from here, all I know for sure is that I am missing it with my community. I miss helping different causes and charities, and I wish I could take care of my family again because they trusted me. ‘
As of now, Lauth has not responded and the community as a whole looks to be open to see how Quezada to the Smash community slowly, as long as he is still getting help and is transparent to move forward. Many players, such as Samuel “Dabuz” Buzby and Ramin “Mr.R” Delshad, are already appealing to the community to embrace him as he heals and tries to move on.