Hax opens up after being banned from Smash events in 2021: “I’m deeply apologetic”

Lawrence Scotti
hax white shirt

Smash pro Aziz ‘Hax’ Al-Yami released an apology for his actions in the summer of 2021 which got him banned from Smash events and explained how he got to the “low point” in his life.

Hax, also known as Hax$, is looking to move past his actions which got him banned from events in summer 2021 and regain trust with Smashers.

Al-Yami found himself out of favor with Smash players after he released a two-hour video titled “Evidence.zip” targeted at fellow Melee pro-William’ Leffen’ Hjelte, where he was accused of attempting to conjure a totalitarian regime within the community.

Leffen claimed Hax was “obsessed” with him, and after reflection, Hax distanced himself from the scene for some time.

Hax began playing Melee competitively way back in 2006.

Hax offers Smash community apology in return video

Though Hax has continued to make Melee videos on his YouTube channel, he hasn’t stepped in front of the camera for over five months.

On March 13, the Melee pro posted a “Life Update” video that explained his actions throughout the beef with Leffen and he.

“I’ll start by letting people know that I’m deeply apologetic about the sequence of events that led to me getting banned last summer,” he said. “I want to assure people that it took a really bad series of decisions to do what I did back there, and I don’t plan to project that type of negativity on to the community ever again.”

He continued, “The entire thing happened because I was experiencing elevated stress levels, both due to certain things going on behind the scenes as well as stress that built up over the years, and I handled that stress in the worst way possible. I needed to go to either a friend, family member, or therapist instead of going to the entire public in the way that I did.”

Time starts at 0:23 for mobile users

Hax completed his apology with saying, “I’m really sorry people saw me when I was at that type of low point in my life.”

Now, he’s looking to “redeem” himself in the eyes of the community. While it may take time, fans agree that Hax will have to show he can repair his past relationships and be a positive influence to everyone to be invited back to in-person events.

About The Author

Lawrence is a former Dexerto writer, based in New York City, who covered entertainment and games for Dexerto focusing on Hearthstone, World of Warcraft, NBA 2K, and any indie game he can review.

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