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FaZe Clan members under fire after FaZe Banks shows massive NY party on Instagram

Faze Banks
Unsplash/Banks

FaZe Clan is under fire after co-owner Ricky ‘Banks’ Bengston posted videos of him and other members at a party on New Year’s Eve. Many have accused Banks of not taking health guidelines seriously.

Banks was previously in the firing line in December after throwing a surprise 7AM party at the Hollywood sign in LA – which police didn’t break up because it was deemed a photoshoot, rather than a party.

But, this latest indoor New Year’s party has raised some eyebrows. With official US government advice asking people to “avoid crowds” and “stay six feet away from others”, and the party in mention clearly ignoring that advice, many people have criticized Banks and other FaZe members’ actions.

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https://twitter.com/defnoodles/status/1345487618402762754

FaZe Banks receives backlash over NYE party

Several members of the gaming community have spoken out against Banks over his actions. Rod ‘Slasher’ Breslau said his actions weren’t very “FaZe up”, and linked a tweet made by Banks back in March illustrating the seriousness of the potential health risks in mass gatherings.

Meanwhile, Brawl Stars Game Lead Frank Keienburg called Banks “irresponsible,” and questioned the impact this could have on FaZe’s sponsors. He said: “How do their sponsors… feel about an owner’s representation of a brand they actively support?

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“Besides being irresponsible by default in the first place, don’t you as an owner also have a responsibility towards the brand?”

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Alan Bunney, CEO of Esports org Panda Global and a qualified medical doctor, was “disgusted but not surprised” by the events.

On January 2, Banks and FaZe Vice President of Marketing Taav Coperman — who was also at the New Year’s party — posted videos of them partying on a yacht on their Instagram stories.

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Banks
FaZe members continued to party on a yacht days after the New Year’s gathering.

Banks isn’t the only prominent figure to come under fire for throwing parties lately.

The likes of Tiktoker Bryce Hall and YouTuber Jake Paul have both been criticized for hosting parties in 2020, with the former releasing an apology after they were caught out.

FaZe is yet to comment publicly on the situation.