As previously reported, a heated verbal confrontation between e-sports commentator, Richard Lewis and professional DOTA 2 player Jonathan "Loda" Berg has resulted in a physical altercation between at the CS:GO backstage during DreamHack Winter 2015. When DreamHack officials stepped in the end result reportedly was a draw for the two parties involved.
However, just recently Richard Lewis himself has released a public statement about his side of the story on Breitbart.com. To explain the photo of the handmade sign he tweeted jokingly, which allegedly started it all, he said, "The joke, of course, is that the fictitious fan must have been the player's mother. The mother-sex joke is a staple of the internet and while this was a somewhat convoluted way to go about it, I was fairly confident that my followers would enjoy it. This is a gaming manoeuvre known to connoisseurs as 'top bants.'"
He also said that he acted on self-defense, detailing that "He (Loda) took a step closer. I didn't move. Closer still. His head was pushed towards my face. No-one was making any effort to step between the two of us. At the point I felt contact, instigated by him, I instinctively pushed my hands out and they caught the closest part, his lower neck and chest area, to keep him at bay."
Lewis stands by his claim saying that, "I attacked and he defended TOO HARD, making me the victim!" and shared a the link to Berg's photo of the marks on his neck. And insists that security at that time was nothing but lax.
Finally, we see a firsthand account of what actually happened backstage. DreamHack Tournament Director Christian "Hellspawn" Lord tweeted wrote a tweet saying that he was advised to say nothing about the instead. But he could not stand what Lewis has been saying on social media and therefore blurts that Lewis strangled Loda. In a tweet he says, "I was the one who with force stopped Richard so he wouldn't deeply injure Loda, or worse. I don't know what would have happened if I wasn't there.
He also saw Richard and Loda's girlfriend "having a huge verbal dispute." He said he intervned and then Kelly walked away. He tried to calm Lewis down. Then he said Loda suddenly appeared aggressively approached Lewis but did not touch him at all. He then wrote, "There was a fast and aggressive conversation where Loda said 'I'm here, yes it's me'. Suddenly Richard attacked Loda and started to strangle him.
The lengthy tweet clearly pointed to one thing and that "Richard grabbed Loda's throat with both hands and pushed him backwards towards the ground" and by Hellspawn's judgment the "strangling looked very hard." Here is the link to Hellspawn's tweet.
Still convinced that Richard Lewis is the victim. Feel free to comment below.