Dylan Koch, a professional Call of Duty player better known as Nero, has been dropped by his team, the Carolina Royal Ravens. While the team didn’t single out a reason in their announcement, Koch’s response suggests his dismissal is related to a string of embarrassing Discord DMs being leaked earlier in the week.
“Sorry I have a real life,” posted Koch. “A lot of gamers communicate primarily online, through Twitter and DMs, and the way people talk in those spaces can be very different. That said, what was sent clearly wasn’t received appropriately, and I understand that. I just wish this could’ve been handled privately instead of turning into a public pile on.”
Sorry I have a real life. A lot of gamers communicate primarily online, through Twitter and DMs, and the way people talk in those spaces can be very different. That said, what was sent clearly wasn’t received appropriately, and I understand that. I just wish this could’ve been…
— Nero (@NEROPOlSON) April 3, 2026
In the leaked DMs, Koch opens the conversation by asking the other party if they’d “consider Esex or no,” adding that he hoped they wouldn’t “take it the wrong way” and that he “always wanted to try it.” Koch is very quickly reprimanded by the individual over the unwanted advances, and the esports player spends a lengthy dialogue apologizing for his behavior, blaming it on a lack of sleep. The recipient leaked the exchange on X, but has since deleted their account due to the fallout.
The 24-year-old player had only joined the Carolina Royal Ravens in late 2025, a month before the Call of Duty League season started. Whatever their review process was, the Ravens decided it was best to part with Koch before the next break.
“Today we say farewell to [Nero] as we release him from our active roster,” posted the Royal Ravens. “We’d like to thank Dylan for his time here over the past two splits and wish him the best moving forward.”
Ambushing people’s DMs to elicit late-night cybersex isn’t great. No matter how many hours of sleep, or how embarrassing the fumble is about to be, everyone needs to be able to recognize when it’s ultimately time to just log off.
