BESTIA suspends CEO following racist remarks on stream

Argentinian esports organisation BESTIA has suspended its co-CEO and co-owner Santiago ‘Santutu‘ Rodriguez after making racist comments during a Kick stream.

The decision to issue an indefinite suspension follows a wave of public backlash alongside apologies from Rodriguez and the organisation.

The incident took place on January 31st, following BESTIA’s elimination from the FiReCONTER Season 1 Counter-Strike 2 event. The organisation quickly distanced itself from the remarks made by Rodriguez with the release of a statement.

“BESTIA apologises to everyone for the statements made by Santutu. These opinions do not represent or reflect the values we promote as an organisation. We categorically reject any form of racism or discrimination.”

Before BESTIA released a statement, Rodriguez posted an apology across his social media channels. “Truly and in all honesty, I can’t believe what I said on my stream,” he wrote. “It doesn’t represent me or speak even a little to who I am as a human being. I am sorry from the bottom of my heart to everyone. I will step away for a time to reflect on my actions and think about everything that happened.”

Founded in 2023, BESTIA has grown into one of South America’s prominent esports organisations. Its Counter-Strike 2 team scored a top-four finish at FiRECONTER Season 1 and has competed in a variety of B-tier esports events.

With Rodriguez serving an indefinite suspension for his role at the organisation, the future of his position within BESTIA remains unclear.

The organisation caught the attention of fans after it was replaced by Legacy for the BLAST.tv Austin Major in May 2025. Currently ranked 9th in the Americas Valve Regional Standings (VRS), the team remains in contention to earn a place at the IEM Cologne Major.

BESTIA’s founder, Alejandro ‘Paop MC‘ Lococo, also commented on the incident: “There are moments when words are unnecessary, and this is one of them. We repudiate any act of discrimination; it does not align with the values of our organisation. This cannot and will not happen again.”