Honda has ended Team Liquid’s 6-year partnership after a professional Rainbow 6 Siege player made a nuke joke on X (formally Twitter) to a Japanese player from Osaka.

Team Liquid released a statement revealing the player has been fined 4 months of his salary for the comment. They had this to say:

“To our fans in Japan and the Japanese esports community, we fully understand how this post was disrespectful and hurtful to you. We want to express our sincere regrets and apology that we made you feel this way,” the post continued.

Liquid outlined steps being taken to prevent “similar incidents in the future,” including Dias being fined four months’ worth of his salary and other members of Team Liquid donating any winnings from the Reload tournament to charity.

Likewise, “mandatory re-training” for Liquid employees, with Dias’ original X post being used as a “real-world case study”, is planned to be undertaken within the next six months.

Of Honda’s sponsorship termination, Liquid said: “Although we regret this outcome, we understand and respect the decision, and extend our thanks to Honda Motors for having been good partners for 6 years.”

Dias also made his own apology on X:

“Hey everyone. I want to sincerely apologize for the post I made after our last loss. I made a big mistake using that GIF, and I understand that it may have caused discomfort to many people,” he wrote.

“From the bottom of my heart, it was never my intention to make any offensive reference, but I recognize that the context and choice were inappropriate,” he continued.

Two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan during World War II, on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and August 9, 1945.

“I especially want to apologize to Japanese fans, including those living in Brazil and Japan. I’m aware of the strength and importance of the Japanese community in our country, and I should have been more mindful and responsible with my post,” Dias’ statement continued.