Call of Duty League Phil “Momo” Whitfield Fired Over Sexual Assault Allegations
| Tags: Call of Duty
| Author Harrison Giza
Call of Duty caster Momo is no longer with the league.
Activision/Blizzard has moved forward with their plans to let go of Phil “Momo” Whitfield. The Call of Duty League alum broadcaster has been hit with allegations of sexual assault (just last week from people within the community).
These allegations were reportedly shown to Activision/Blizzard directly by an individual from the community. The time that these allegations were brought up has not yet been brought to light.
Effective June 30th, I was released from employment with Activision Blizzard
Read: https://t.co/flb1H6omSf
— Phil (@Momo) July 4, 2020
Official Statement
In an official statement posted to his Twitter, Momo says he is no longer part of the Call of Duty League, and that an internal investigation is currently ongoing from Activision over messages he sent to female members in the gaming community.
“With effect from 30th June 2020, I was released from employment with Activision Blizzard. This decision follows what was described to me as an internal investigation after old messages that I’d sent to female members of the gaming community had been passed to my employer. For confidentiality reasons, the detail of these messages and the recipients were not disclosed, which I fully respect. I cannot therefore respond to the specific allegations and their context.”
Uncomfortable Reports
The statement he posted on Twitter goes over the messages that Momo sent to multiple female members in the gaming community. Reports have gathered that these messages made many of the women feel “uncomfortable”. As a result, this led them to report the messages to Activision/Blizzard anonymously.
Here is a brief message that Momo posted online.
“The generic nature of the complaints is that my messages made the recipients feel uncomfortable. To put it bluntly, in my messages, I was ‘trying my luck’ with women who hadn’t invited my attention, and I was being forward when I shouldn’t have been. Some of the exchanges contained sexual content from both sides. I did not believe at the time that I was making the recipients uncomfortable. Had I known this I would not have continued conversing in this way.”
Despite the number of people attacking or defending the former CDL broadcaster, Momo says he takes ‘full ownership’ of his actions. He also added that he is ‘sorry’ for tasteless humor in his messages sent.
“The person I was back then is not the person I am now. I take full ownership for my misjudgements and would stress how sorry I am for my conduct. I’m sorry for my immaturity, I’m sorry for any explicit content or graphic language I used, I’m sorry for any tasteless humour, and I’m sorry to anybody who I’ve caused offense to or who has suffered in any way as a result of my actions.”
“I hope they read this message and believe these words.”
Subsequently, Activision/Blizzard has not yet issued a statement regarding Momo’s messages. Hopefully, something will be released later this week.
Harrison is an esports commentator and gonzo video game journalist, focusing on esports and Call of Duty news for ESTNN. Current writer at Punchland and former contributing staff at Midnight Pulp, Bad Hat Harry, Montecito Picture Co. For inquiries or interviews: [email protected].