Honda Terminates Sponsorship Deal With Team Liquid Over Player Conduct

Honda has terminated its six-year sponsorship deal with esports organization Team Liquid following inappropriate conduct by one of the team's players.

The Japanese automotive company made this decision after a Team Liquid player posted content that was considered offensive to Japanese players and the broader community.

The partnership between Honda and Team Liquid began in 2019 when Honda became the organization's official vehicle and automotive sponsor. Over the years, their collaboration grew stronger, with Honda securing naming rights to Team Liquid's League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) and academy teams. This made Honda a prominent presence in the competitive gaming world for half a decade.

The Incident That Sparked the Split

The controversy started when Lucas 'DiasLucasBr' Dias, a Rainbow Six player for Team Liquid, posted a GIF on social media after a match against the Japanese team CAG Osaka.

The GIF depicted a nuclear explosion, which many interpreted as a reference to the atomic bombings of Japan during World War II.

The post quickly drew criticism from the gaming community and beyond. On May 15th, 2025, DiasLucasBr issued a public apology on X, stating that he had intended to express how his team "blew up" during the game but acknowledged that his choice of imagery was inappropriate.

Later on, Team Liquid issued a statement and confirmed disciplinary actions against DiasLucasBr, including a fine equivalent to four months' salary and mandatory sensitivity training. They also stated that DiasLucasBr personally apologized to the CAG Osaka players, and these players listened and accepted the apology.

Team Liquid emphasized that they did not believe the post was meant as a deliberate insult, but acknowledged that significant harm had already been done to various communities.

Honda's Official Response

American Honda Motor Co. announced its decision on the company's official news and events webpage. The statement made clear that the player's conduct did not align with Honda's corporate values and standards.

"Honda took this matter extremely seriously and, as a sponsor company, promptly lodged a severe protest with the team and the player in question. In response, the team apologized, removed the offending post, and implemented measures to prevent recurrence."

"After much consideration, AHM has decided to terminate its sponsorship with the team in question, deeming the conduct to be incompatible with Honda corporate values and unacceptable," the company stated. Honda also expressed regret about the situation, adding, "We deeply apologise for any offence this incident may have caused not only to the esports community, but also to many people in Japan and globally."

What This Means for Team Liquid's Future

With Honda's departure, Team Liquid now operates with nine remaining partners in its sponsorship portfolio. The organization recently secured a new partnership with Wildcard, an action card collection game, in April 2025.