Smash caster D’Ron ‘D1’ Maingrette has spoken out a year after being accused of rape by community member ‘KTDominate’ at a 2016 event. Maingrette refuted the “distorted versions of events”, adding he had been reflecting for the past year about his actions.
D1 was ostracized from the Smash community after rape claims came to light in July 2020. KTDominate accused the Smash caster of having “full penetrative sex” with her on her 18th birthday while she was too drunk to consent. She also claimed D1 “bragged [and] told everyone that we f**ked and that I was ‘disgusting and vomited all over you.’
“I never consented to one thing with you, and you made me out to be some kind of gross teenager,” she wrote in a Twitlonger post in early July.
D1 has remained silent since a brief statement made hours after KTDominate’s accusations, with multiple other women coming forward and sharing stories of their own experiences with the caster.
He previously claimed he couldn’t remember whether the two had sex as they “were not sober and couldn’t remember the situation”.
“I couldn’t consent to the act on my part, and everyone that knows me knows that I am not that kind of person. I could not provide a truth beyond what happened prior and after her being in my hotel room, all I could do was validate her feelings and apologize in the end,” he said back in 2020.
However, he returned on July 15 — 12 months on — to apologize for his actions, and to refute the “patently false claims being made against [him] following nebulous intimate interactions”.
“This past year of my life, I’ve had the opportunity to spend substantial amounts of time engaging in introspection and reflecting on how I can become a better person,” he said in a 28-minute video.
“One of the most challenging aspects of this process has been not having the ability to properly respond over the past year. [However] it has given me time to reflect on ways I could have treated people better; and ways in which I could have managed the circumstances of situations far more responsibly.”
He apologized to KTDominate for the “ridicule” she faced in the community after rumors spread about D1 having sex with her, but claimed it was “factually false”.
“That is a pain that I now know I cannot take away from this person and therefore understand why they, therefore, sought to tarnish my name in the way that she did. If all it took was me stepping up to quell any harassment towards you, I understand now that I did not do that, I regret it deeply and I am sorry.”
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
D1 said the two met at a party at Smash The Record in 2016 while she was 18 and “very drunk”. The two left the party together, which was corroborated by a statement from the security guard on the night.
The security guard claimed she left on her own accord, with KTDominate reportedly saying “I’m 18 now, I feel like I can make my own decisions”.
D1 denied spreading rumors about that night, but said “the sequence of events that occurred after that night that led to KT’s harassment and ostracization from her community is something that I should take responsibility for.”
My statement.https://t.co/dSlJshPQRa
— 𝐃𝟏 (@xD1x) July 15, 2021
He claimed three further statements — made by community member Daycia as well as two anonymous victims — “were made in a reactionary way…with the goal of holding [him] accountable”.
While he didn’t refute these claims, which mostly consisted of inappropriate behavior at events, in their entirety, he says they were only made public through a negative lens after KTDominate’s statement.
Regardless of the validity of the claims, D1 said he “failed in being a leader within the community” by not protecting those “receiving ridicule” for actions that led back to him.
“I failed by showing ignorance with regard to power imbalances existing in not only the community but all aspects of my life,” he said.
“I am continuing to take the necessary steps to improve myself with therapy and other proper outlets, which isn’t something that can be fixed within a year.
“It’s not easy coming to terms with the effects of your decisions and additionally having them broadcasted publicly, but it has allowed me to understand the person I was and the position I took for granted.”
D1 did not say whether he would be making a return to commentary.
