[UPDATE: Dr. Disrespect have finally broken his silence on Twitter, stating he does not know why he was banned. Original breakdown follows.]
In a shocking move, Twitch has recently banned Dr. Disrespect. It couldn't be worse timing as the world of streaming has taken lick after lick over the past couple of days, and the self-declared two-time champion had become the one of the biggest names on the platform after the departure's of Ninja and Shroud.
What followed wasn't exactly ideal either. Dr. Disrespect has not directly addressed it, his wife has only fanned the flames of fandom by thanking them for their support, and Twitch gave a blanket statement. Without a proper answer the internet has turned to rumors and speculation belying the facts and the search for answers. As such, while the exact reason for Dr. Disrespect's ban goes unannounced, here's what's fact and here's what's fiction.
Dr. Disrespect's Ban - The Facts
First reported around 2 PM CT on June 26, Dr. Disrespect was banned. Although his personal Twitter account remains up (which is a good thing, to be noted later), the Doc himself has not yet made any direct reference to the event. TimTheTatMan, a fellow streamer, states that the Doc had no idea what was going on, as TimTheTatMan contacted him directly after. These are still not Doc's words and are mere hearsay, but it comes from a mostly reliable source.
The absolute closest statements on the matter come from Mrs. Assassin, the Doc's wife, and Twitch itself, although his wife is more about the response and Twitch was incredibly vague. Mrs. Assassin states, "The outpouring of love, support, strength, and kindness from the arena has truly been overwhelming. You all have my heart full and I can not thank you enough. No one better out than the CC [Champion's Club]. You guys are amazing! Much love to you all." In a completely different tone, Twitch's statement on the matter follows:
“As is our process, we take appropriate action when we have evidence that a streamer has acted in violation of our Community Guidelines or Terms of Service. These apply to all streamers regardless of status or prominence in the community.”
Furthermore, Rod Breslau—a big name when it comes to esports—was one of the first to acknowledge potential "insider" knowledge regarding the situation. Breslau is a reliable name, but keep in mind that what follows are facts as he has heard them. First, it seems Dr. Disrespect's ban is permanent, which does have huge implications, and Breslau even claims to know why Doc was banned. According to Breslau, however, he's not comfortable revealing that information due to the "importance and sensitivity around the subject."
Since Doc's ban, there's been a few minor developments. Many think Doc realized he was getting banned in his last stream, as he acted out of character for its remainder and seem sullen after seeing something on his phone. This would seemingly contradict what he (potentially) told TimTheTatMan about not knowing, but at the same time, it's possible this was just an alert he would be banned. It may not have actually dived into the reasoning, although Doc would likely be privy to that information as well.
Twitch has also issued refunds for Dr. Disrespect subscriptions, adding emphasis to the potential of this being a permanent ban, and it seems some of Dr. Disrespect's sponsors have also begun to remove mentions of him. That is indeed big, and for Twitch to be going through all of this with one of its biggest streamers, whatever was done had to be bigger than what many initially thought and hoped. Despite all of this, it's worth reiterating before moving on that no official announcement has been made on the situation.
Dr. Disrespect's Ban - The Fiction
With the facts now made clear, it's worth looking at the narrative being woven around his ban. At first, many thought this to be the result of a DMCA takedown. It's been happening more and more frequently, and is often just a simple accident. However, many quickly claimed this was not the case after the rounds began, and if it were, something official would have likely been known by now.
The second issue with Doc's ban is the timing. As many are aware, several internet personalities ranging from YouTube to Twitch have been accused of sexual assault, manipulating or "grooming" targets, and far more, simply despicable announcements. Several big names in the gaming industry as a whole have also been outed, and all of this is a good thing for those who have been wronged. This has led some to connect the dots and suggest that Doc may have done something of the likes.
Sadly, there are no real facts that can swipe this away. There is context, though. It seems unlikely his wife would publicly show her support had this been the case, which is incredibly important given that some of the more malicious rumors tie in his previously announced and previously deal-with infidelity to the current situation. The most outrageous claim thus far is that that situation ties into this one, that Doc had manipulated the other who was a Twitch streamer, and that Twitch CEO Emmett Shear knew and protected both parties. Again, no hard facts can dissuade this or put the tin foil theories to rest, but if this were the case (and it seems really, really unlikely), then Shear would likely be stepping down.
The fact that Dr. Disrespect's public, official Twitter account is still up also helps this, while it may not disprove it. Oftentimes, those who have committed such vile acts and have been outed delete their main connection to the Internet. Doc hasn't. And while the possibility of sexual misconduct cannot be ruled out, it can be pushed down the list to less likely. There are several other rumors like this out there, but anything claiming something like this or providing a bunch of unverified details are just that: unverified and likely false.
That said, there's one big caveat to the on-going situation. If it were indeed something minor, then an official statement explain why would have already likely happened. This lends credibility to the Twitch perma-ban scenario, as well as the situation being something serious and sensitive indeed. There's a good chance the reason is revealed in the coming days, and hopefully, fans will have their answers. Dr. Disrespect is innocent until proven guilty, though, and rumors are not indicative of "the big why" of his ban nor the cause of it.