Zachary Smith, the embattled and much-maligned presence behind the resurgence of Denial Esports, will be stepping down from running day-to-day operations to focus on other endeavors, sources have told Upcomer.





Smith’s stepping down comes after a Twitlonger was posted by Nathan “Natshay” Dupuis, one of Denial’s former Call of Duty players, demanding payment of $15,000 in salary that he never received. The post by Natshay started a torrent of former business partners, players, and staff coming forward with numerous allegations of unethical and allegedly illegal business practices.





Documents obtained by Upcomer show that Natshay signed a letter intent on Jan. 29, 2019 that states that he would receive a monthly salary of $5,000 upon completion of “all official paperwork” and a pay raise to a monthly salary of $6,500 if the team made the CWL playoffs.





However, at the time the contract was signed, Natshay was still in the United States on an Electronic System for Travel Authorization visa, which meant he was not legally able to take on a salary as an employee of a United States business.

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On Feb. 16, 2019 Natshay signed a two-year contract that had no specified salary amount. Instead, the provision read that “player shall receive a salary to be negotiated in good faith between parties, per a month, to be paid on the 10th day of the month by Company.”





After participating in CWL Fort Worth and playing in the Call of Duty World League until he was released on April 14, negotiations never took place, Natshay never received a salary, nor his P1 visa, which is what aliens entering the United States must possess in order to perform for payment or prize money.





With no P1 visa, Denial cannot legally pay Natshay and will most likely have to go through the court system to recover the money.





This story is developing.