On May 19, Honda Motor Company announced the termination of its partnership with Team Liquid following a controversial social media post by one of the organisation’s players, ending a working relationship of six years.

The decision came after Brazilian Rainbow Six Siege player Lucas “LucasDiaz” Diaz shared a GIF referencing the Hiroshima atomic bomb, which sparked backlash.

The incident occurred shortly after Team Liquid’s defeat to Japan-based CAG OSAKA at the RE:LO:AD event on May 13. Diaz posted a clip believed to be from the BBC’s Hiroshima: Dropping The Bomb, depicting the bombing of Japanese city Hiroshima during World War II.

Diaz deleted the post and issued a public apology on May 16, stating: “I want to sincerely apologize for the post I made after our last loss. I made a big mistake using that GIF … It was never my intention to make any offensive reference, but I recognize that the context and choice were inappropriate.”

Initially, Honda responded by lodging a formal complaint with Team Liquid and chose not to immediately withdraw from the partnership as Team Liquid had taken “measures to prevent a recurrence.”

On May 19, they confirmed their final decision to stop partnering with Team Liquid. In a statement posted to their website, they explained: “After much consideration, AHM has decided to terminate its sponsorship agreement with the team in question, deeming the conduct to be incompatible with Honda corporate values and unacceptable.”

Team Liquid released a lengthy statement after news got out, explaining that while they do not believe the post to be intentionally hurtful, Lucas will be fined four months’ salary as well as undergoing additional media and sensitivity training.

Team Liquid’s partnership with Honda included naming rights for their League of Legends team in the LTA North. It is not often to see a top-tier sponsor cutting ties with a global esports brand over a player’s social media conduct.