DOTA 2 pro ninjaboogie kicked from Team SMG for taking time off ahead of the death of his mother
Michael "ninjaboogie" was kicked from Team SMG on May 20. The news comes after the DOTA 2 pro's absence from the team to spend time with his mother, who died of stage 4 cancer on Monday.
According to the former Team SMG player, he was released from the team because they believed he would perform poorly in the wake of his mother's passing. His explanation caused communitywide criticism of the esports team's decision to let him go.
Team SMG announced in a tweet on May 20 that they had decided to part ways with the support player, thanking him for his hard work with the team. He had been with the organization since 2021.
Shortly after the news broke, the former Team SMG member tweeted out why he was removed from the team. He also responded directly to the team's tweet, daring them to tell fans the whole story.
In his tweet, he explained that he left the team for a brief period to be with his mother, who was dying of stage 4 cancer. He said he was supposed to catch a flight to join the team on May 14 but received the news that his mother had been admitted to a hospital for a stroke two days prior.
He asked to have his flight rescheduled so he could join the team for boot camp on May 20. He said that MidOne, one of his Team SMG teammates, asked ninjaboogie to give him a final decision on May 14.
The former Team SMG player tweeted out a screenshot of the text he sent, explaining that he was committed to the team but wanted to be with his mother until she was either discharged or passed away. He also described in the tweet that the team had a meeting without him to discuss his future.
Team SMG didn't seem keen to explain why they were kicking ninjaboogie in their announcement tweet. The pro player has made his side of the story clear
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