HUNDEN makes shocking claim about Heroic spectator bug case

Nicolai ‘HUNDEN⁠’ Petersen, one of the 37 CS:GO coaches who were banned in September 2020 for using the spectator bug, has claimed that some of Heroic’s players were aware of his actions.

HUNDEN has backtracked on his previous comments that he abused the bug without the knowledge of his teammates. In an interview with TV2.dk, he alleged that part of the team knew what he was doing.

“Some of the players were aware of it,” he said. “I will not name any names as I think it is up to the players themselves.”

HUNDEN⁠ was banned for eight months by the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) for using the bug in two matches in May 2020, against Astralis in DreamHack Masters Spring and against Team Spirit in Home Sweet Home Cup 5. His initial 12-month suspension was reduced due to his assistance in the investigation.

In a statement issued at the time, HUNDEN apologized for his actions and said that he had acted “on my own, without the knowledge of my teammates.”

New evidence surfaces

Asked by TV2.dk why he is telling a different story now, HUNDEN said: “I’ve fallen so far into a hole now that there’s nothing to keep away anymore.”

CS:GO analyst Jacob ‘Pimp⁠’ Winneche commented on the shocking claims by saying that he has seen material obtained by TV2.dk that seems to support HUNDEN’s new version of the events.

“I’ve been presented the material the article is based on,” Pimp wrote on Twitter. “My judgment is that it’s highly probable he’s telling the truth.”

In a statement to TV2.dk, Heroic CEO Joachim Haraldsen denied the claims, saying that ESIC “thoroughly investigated” the case and that HUNDEN admitted to acting alone after being found “guilty of cheating.”

“Now he changes his explanation after he was fired from the team in July and shortly before ESIC comes out with their decision in the pending case,” Haraldsen said.

• Read more: ESIC hand out first CSGO bans relating to North American match-fixing investigation

“I am convinced that ESIC and the rest of the world will see this for what it is: Nicolai Petersen failed his teammates by cheating, he failed them by sharing confidential and sensitive information with a major competitor, and he is now failing them a third time by trying to blame them for his actions.

“That’s not very heroic.”

ESIC set to make ruling

ESIC will announce on Friday whether it is banning HUNDEN in a separate case that involves a potential breach of the esports watchdog’s integrity program. HUNDEN has been accused by Heroic of sharing sensitive information with a competitor before IEM Cologne.

HUNDEN, who did not travel with the team to that event, denied “rumors” that leaked the team’s stratbook but admitted that he shared “anti-strat material of opponents” with other coaches, “in the context of sparring.”

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Heroic have opened legal proceedings against HUNDEN for what they deemed to be “a clear breach of his contract.” According to the organization, two courts have “independently found sufficient grounds for evidence collection, which has been carried out.”

ESL, the company running IEM Cologne, and ESIC both issued statements saying that the competitive integrity of the tournament was not impacted by the leak, but the esports watchdog underlined that HUNDEN’s behavior potentially constituted a breach of its Integrity Program.

TV2.dk reported on Wednesday that HUNDEN will be banned for two years. In an interview, the coach criticized ESIC for its handling of the investigation, saying that he was never heard in the case, and claimed that he was threatened with a five-year suspension if he appealed against the ban.