Capcom has banned a well-known Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom player from competing in Capcom Pro Tour events for the remainder of 2016. The player, Noel Brown, was banned for sexually harassing a female attendant at last weekend’s Combo Breaker Tournament. Brown was seen groping the female attendee, and the incident was caught on camera. She later reported to the tournaments organizers that the action was unwanted. Many in the fighting game community saw the footage and immediately called for Brown to be banned from future tournaments.

Capcom explained in a statement that they “do not condone any acts of harassment,” and they want their events to “provide safe, inviting environments where the focus is on healthy competition and exciting rivalries.” Furthermore, if there is a second incident, Brown will be banned from participating in all future Capcom Pro Tour events.

“Over the past weekend, we were notified that an unfortunate case of sexual harassment occurred at Combo Breaker 2016, a Capcom Pro Tour Ranking Event, where a female attendee received unwarranted and unwanted contact from a male attendee, who is confirmed to be Noel Brown. This incident was also captured on camera during the live stream before the Street Fighter V Losers Finals match. “We have worked closely with the tournament organizer of Combo Breaker to gather all details surrounding the incident. We have found that the victim, who wishes not to be named, has gone on record and confirmed this was an inappropriate act from Noel Brown and was not consensual. “As a result, we are banning Noel Brown from competing in the duration of the 2016 season of the Capcom Pro Tour as a first offense. A second offense will result in a lifetime ban from participating in all future Capcom Pro Tour events. We will use this as a baseline penalty if similar incidents occur in the future. “We do not condone any acts of harassment and we want all of our players and fans to know we will continue our work to ensure that all Capcom Pro Tour events provide safe, inviting environments where the focus is on healthy competition and exciting rivalries. “We support Combo Breaker’s decision to ban Noel Brown and support any tournament organizer who decides to ban anyone from their event who they feel is creating a hostile environment for other attendees.” — Capcom

This is not the first time Brown has caused problems at tournaments. In 2013 he was arrested for assault at a tournament in Orlando, and was also caught on camera assaulting another player in 2011. As a result of his recent behavior, he is also banned from this year’s Evolution Championship Series. The tournament’s co-founder agreed with Capcom’s statement, saying “We have a zero tolerance policy for behavior that creates an unsafe environment for our attendees. He will not be allowed to attend Evo 2016.”

Brown issued his own statement on Facebook, which was later removed. However, his statement can still be found on on a cache on Google. In the post, he defends his actions and states that “people will blow things out of proportion and make them seem like they’re something they’re not.”

“First and for most, it was not a random isolated thing. We were playing around as you can tell, she clearly laughed in the video after it happened. Of course people will blow things out of proportion and make them seem like they’re something they’re not which is definitely the case here. I don’t understand how someone else calls sexual harassment on someone else’s behalf if they’re not any of the parties involved. Actually all three (her, her boyfriend and I) of us drank and ate pizza together that night after seeing the screen shot. No one ever wants to hear the truth because controversy is always more entertaining but despite what comes of this I still want the truth to be out there. The below screen shots are of the said “victim” (even though she clearly says it wasn’t a big deal) and I texting. I know the monsters will some how find a way to turn this around and I understand that. Like I said, the truth just needs to out there.” — Noel Brown

Do you think Capcom should have banned Brown completely? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Capcom Pro Tour, Combo Breaker

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