Yesterday, partnered Twitch streamer and Fortnite pro Jordan “Scubby” Selleck said on a stream that if anyone he knew threatened suicide, “I would dare them to do it, and then I would never talk to them again.” (The topic came up after another Twitch streamer said she had been having suicidal ideations.) Scubby also repeatedly decried anxiety as “fake.” Last night, his esports team HavoK Esports said that they had decided to “part ways with Scubby,” then linked to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
As a partnered streamer, Scubby enjoys several privileges, including a share of revenue from ads and subscribers. Last December, a Twitch rep told Kotaku that the service was looking to improve how they evaluate suicide threats sent to streamers from fans, and that the company’s current goal was to “stop promotion of content that can lead to suicide or self harm, which includes mitigating the risk of an individual being exposed to negative encouragement.” It’s hard to see how “I would dare them to do it” doesn’t fall under “negative encouragement.”
Scubby has not streamed or tweeted since the incident, and at the time of this writing, his Twitter bio still says that he is a pro Fortnite player for HavoK Esports. Their Fortnite team captain posted today that the team is now seeking a new player. Compete has reached out to HavoK Esports and Scubby to clarify whether he is still a part of the team, as well as to ask Scubby whether he has any follow-up to offer about his comments about mental health.
Compete also reached out to Twitch to inquire about whether Scubby’s statements conflict with the community guidelines. We’ll update this post if and when Scubby, Twitch, or HavoK respond.
UPDATE 2:58 pm ET: HavoK Esports has confirmed that “JScubby is no longer affiliated with HavoK Esports, I’m sure we will be removed from his Twitter bio whenever he gets back on Twitter.”
UPDATE 2/9/2018 10:50 am ET: Jordan “Scubby” Selleck’s Twitch page has been deleted. He has uploaded a video to YouTube titled “I’m Sorry” in an attempt to “clarify” his statements. In the video, Scubby says he believes “depression and anxiety are very real,” but also that “suicide is an incredibly cowardly and selfish thing to do.”
In the second half of the video, Scubby says, “I will be taking some time off of Twitch to find some clarity... so when I come back, I can continue to do good on Twitch.”
In response to Compete’s inquiry about Scubby’s channel, a Twitch PR rep said via email today: “It has been addressed.” When asked whether Twitch had either suspended or banned Scubby’s account, the rep responded, “We don’t comment on terms of service violations.”