Hearthstone Esports announced today that it has suspended one of the game’s Grandmaster tournament players, Paul “Zalae” Nemeth, over domestic violence allegations.
“Hearthstone Esports is aware of allegations against America’s grandmaster Paul ‘Zalae’ Nemeth. Upon further investigation, we have suspended Zalae from participating in all Hearthstone Esports events, ”Hearthstone Esports wrote in a statement. tweet
Blizzard confirmed in an email to Kotaku that the suspension is valid for one year, but did not yield any further comment.
In a TwitLonger posted in January, a former partner of Nemeth’s outlined physical and emotional abuse that she says happened while they were together.
The response from Blizzard, the developer and publisher behind it Hearthstone and its Grandmasters esports league, comes after nearly three months of silence on the allegations and a day before the 2021 Grandmasters season kicks off. Sports field Inven Global reported that Blizzard told them it was “aware of the allegations and is reviewing the case” when asked for comment on April 7. Hearthstone fans are relieved that Blizzard seems to have finally taken action.
Kotaku reached out to Nemeth and Nemeth’s former partner for comment, but received no responses in time for publication.