Post by Miege22 on Jan 20, 2021 17:33:31 GMT -5
Hi everyone,
I just wanted to provide you all with an update on Orlando's owner. Earlier this afternoon, I asked that he step down due to recent inflammatory political comments that he made. I did not come to this decision quickly or without thought, and I sought the opinions of my fellow moderators. A majority of the mods approved the motion to remove him from the league, while none argued to allow him to stay. I do want to be clear about one thing: we do not care about your political preferences. Hell, half of this league doesn't even live in this country, so I think we all recognize that any comment made about politics comes from a place of humor. However, Orlando crossed a line when he spouted insane conspiracy theories about the incoming president being a pedophile. It is these same conspiracy theories that drove hundreds of people to attack the United States Capitol in an attempt to overthrow the Government. These ideas have real consequences, and baselessly spreading them won't be tolerated. Orlando even had a chance to say they were made in jest, yet, he instead chose to double down on the comments.
Truthfully, this situation appeared to be building over the last few weeks. He had clearly become frustrated with how he saw the rules being enforced (or, in multiple cases, non-existent rules being unenforced), but I think we were all willing to overlook that. The political comments were totally out of line and threatened to impact the enjoyment levels of other owners. I did not want to have to make this move, as he had been around forever, and as you all know, recruiting is a beast, but I did not see anyway for him to continue here.
While I'm not going to put a ban on discussing political topics (frankly, it hardly comes up, so I don't see the need), I do want to remind everyone to remain in reality. For those of you unaware, the worldview that he was espousing has really done a number on millions of people in this country, and around the world. It has torn families apart and ruined lifelong friendships. Some of us have seen firsthand the damage that has been done, and I did not want to see that happen with this league that we've all come to (hopefully) enjoy. If I believed there was a way for Orlando to continue in this league, I would have taken that route.
If anyone would like to talk to me privately about this decision, my messages are open. In the interim, I have asked Tampa Bay to continue to set Orlando's lineups while I look for a replacement owner (I would do it myself, but I own his pick and would like to avoid any conflict of interest), and he has accepted.
Again, I apologize to everyone for today, and I hope we can move forward with the rest of the season (and many seasons to come).
Thank you.
I just wanted to provide you all with an update on Orlando's owner. Earlier this afternoon, I asked that he step down due to recent inflammatory political comments that he made. I did not come to this decision quickly or without thought, and I sought the opinions of my fellow moderators. A majority of the mods approved the motion to remove him from the league, while none argued to allow him to stay. I do want to be clear about one thing: we do not care about your political preferences. Hell, half of this league doesn't even live in this country, so I think we all recognize that any comment made about politics comes from a place of humor. However, Orlando crossed a line when he spouted insane conspiracy theories about the incoming president being a pedophile. It is these same conspiracy theories that drove hundreds of people to attack the United States Capitol in an attempt to overthrow the Government. These ideas have real consequences, and baselessly spreading them won't be tolerated. Orlando even had a chance to say they were made in jest, yet, he instead chose to double down on the comments.
Truthfully, this situation appeared to be building over the last few weeks. He had clearly become frustrated with how he saw the rules being enforced (or, in multiple cases, non-existent rules being unenforced), but I think we were all willing to overlook that. The political comments were totally out of line and threatened to impact the enjoyment levels of other owners. I did not want to have to make this move, as he had been around forever, and as you all know, recruiting is a beast, but I did not see anyway for him to continue here.
While I'm not going to put a ban on discussing political topics (frankly, it hardly comes up, so I don't see the need), I do want to remind everyone to remain in reality. For those of you unaware, the worldview that he was espousing has really done a number on millions of people in this country, and around the world. It has torn families apart and ruined lifelong friendships. Some of us have seen firsthand the damage that has been done, and I did not want to see that happen with this league that we've all come to (hopefully) enjoy. If I believed there was a way for Orlando to continue in this league, I would have taken that route.
If anyone would like to talk to me privately about this decision, my messages are open. In the interim, I have asked Tampa Bay to continue to set Orlando's lineups while I look for a replacement owner (I would do it myself, but I own his pick and would like to avoid any conflict of interest), and he has accepted.
Again, I apologize to everyone for today, and I hope we can move forward with the rest of the season (and many seasons to come).
Thank you.