Juan ‘HungryBox’ DeBiedma forced himself out of the latest Smash Major after showing symptoms of severe sickness, sparking backlash from the community for lack of preemptive action.
At DoubleDown 2022, HungryBox walked out of the venue, choosing to disqualify himself from the remainder of the tournament.
Full of regret, HungryBox acknowledges feeling sick and publicly apologized to the community for placing others at risk.
Throughout his time at the event, the popular Smash player was seen coughing severely, so much as to allegedly spew up blood. To make matters worse, he chose to not wear a mask while participating — ignoring general safety protocols as the event.
In a public apology on Twitter, he stated: “It goes without saying I did a super-f**ck up today. And it was incredibly selfish of me.
I shouldn’t think I’m above the rules. Deciding to play or even go to the venue was a massive mistake,” he admitted.
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For some context, DoubleDown 2022 was postponed on multiple occasions due to the ongoing global health crisis.
The competitive Smash bros icon takes great pride in being a community leader, even speaking out against Nintendo publicly in an attempt to gather support for the Super Smash Bros.
Understanding his unique position of influence and acknowledging his mistake, HungryBox exclaimed: “I’m also encouraging everyone who’s reading this to do the same and follow mask protocols more seriously. Most of you already do, but for those who are haphazard about it like I was – I’m hoping this changes your actions as well.”