Super Smash Bros pro Juan Pablo ‘Skyjay’ Lozada has responded to allegations of having sexual relations with a minor, denying any wrongdoing after accusations started appearing online.
On October 10, a social media post claimed that Skyjay had admitted to having sexual relations with a minor.
“This guy (SKYJAY) personally told me that when he was 18 he had ‘sexual relations’ with a 14-year-old GIRL,” the post said. “And after I told him that that was super wrong, he answered ‘It’s just that, why do they do it like that?’
“He told it so naturally and without thinking that that could be wrong.”
Este wey (SKYJAY) me contó personalmente que a sus 18 años tuvo 'relaciones sexuales' con una NIÑA de 14 años, y después de que le dije que eso está súper mal, me contestó: "Es que por qué las hacen así", lo contó con tanta naturalidad y sin pensar que eso podría estar mal https://t.co/rGPHw2iUMG
— PS | Cliptori 🌈 (@chipz_fuego) October 10, 2024
Hours later, Skyjay released a lengthy statement on his own social media accounts, denying the allegations entirely.
(Note: the following has been translated from Spanish)
“I am aware of everything that is happening and being said about me, I wanted to stay as far away as possible since I do not support having done what the accusations are commenting on, which even point to people with whom I have a relationship as a girlfriend (to whom it may concern) and friendship, accusations that make them ‘victims.’
“The main accusation that is circulating publicly at this moment is about whether I interacted sexually with a minor at 18 years old. It should be noted that I entered the community in 2019 when I was around 20-21 years old, the comment is placed quite a long time before I was even in the community.”
He continued: “Now being the important point, I do not claim to have had sexual relations with minors, neither in the accusation nor at any other point in my life. As an extra fact, currently my girlfriend is even older than me.
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“Clearly the issue exists in the community, but I am not the one to point the finger at. I understand that my relationship may look bad due to the succession of events, but it is not about heroes or villains, bad or good, in the end the decision should be kept between the people involved.
“I am not someone who has done things regarding statutory rape.”
He also spoke about the situation on stream, reiterating his innocence.
Despite Skyjay’s denial, esports team Cosmic Hive announced shortly after the accusations became public that he would be “excluded from any future team-related activities both online and in person” as well as from the next Mexico national ranking.
They added, in a response to a fan: “We have received additional cases to those described in the tweet. It is not up to us to release what victims have shared in confidence.”
Nos han llegado casos adicionales a lo descrito en el tweet. No está en nosotros liberar lo compartido por las víctimas en confidencialidad. Si se desea proceder, que sea legalmente
— Cosmic Hive (@CosmicHives) October 10, 2024
As Skyjay pointed out in his statement, the Smash scene does have a history of these controversies.
In February 2024, Niko responded to accusations of having indecent images of a minor on his phone. In 2019, former world number one Elliot ‘Ally’ Barroza-Oyarce admitted to having a relationship with a 16-year-old, despite being 27 at the time.
In 2020 Gonzalo ‘Zer0’ Barrios confessed to having had been “inappropriate with underage girls. Two years later, in September 2022, his lawsuit surrounding the situation had fully concluded and he returned.