Earlier in the three-hour Twitch stream, Lawson asked Vips to wear a pink Red Bull cap, and Vips said, “No, that’s gay.”
“Juri, you can’t say that,” Lawson replied.
Red Bull Racing plans to carry out a “full investigation into the incident”, according to A declaration shared by the team on Tuesday.
“As an organization, we condemn abuse of any kind and operate a zero-tolerance policy for racist language or behavior within our organization,” the statement read.
In a separate statement on Instagram, Vips wrote an apology “for the offensive language” during the live stream and said he would cooperate with Red Bull’s investigation.
“This language is totally unacceptable and does not represent the values and principles I stand for,” Vips wrote. “I deeply regret my actions.”
This isn’t the first time athletes from mainstream sports have gotten in trouble for using racial slurs while streaming on Twitch. In March 2021, esports organization FaZe Clan cut ties with Meyers Leonard after the NBA player used an anti-Semitic slur during a Twitch stream. The Miami Heat, his team at the time, suspended Leonard and the NBA fined him $50,000.
Athletes are increasingly spending their free time on Twitch, streaming to thousands of fans as they play games. Among NBA players, De’Aaron Fox of Sacramento
Kings and Josh Hart of the Portland Trail Blazers both have their own Twitch channels. Many professional racing drivers also stream on Twitch. Lando Norris, Formula 1 driver for McLaren Racing, has over 1.3 million followers on Twitch.
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Post expires at 10:39pm on Saturday July 2nd, 2022