The focus of Double Down this past weekend should have been the top cut in its Super Smash Bros. Melee and Ultimate tournaments. Sadly, that was not the case. The biggest talking point now those tournaments have come to a close was Melee player Hungrybox showing up to compete despite revealing to his fans that morning that he had been vomiting blood.As reported by Dot Esports, on the morning of Double Down's culmination, Hungrybox's now-deleted tweet read, “I definitely woke up this morning and threw up blood. Went to urgent care at 6am.” The tweet goes on to state doctors told him it was either a bacterial infection or COVID, and that despite his illness, he would still be attending to compete in that day's Melee losers bracket.Hungrybox claimed in that same tweet that it wasn't COVID, but fans and others attending Double Down still questioned whether it was a good idea for the Melee player to be there. Hungrybox was also seen without a mask at various times throughout the day before self-disqualifying and leaving. He has now issued an apology for attending and not wearing a mask which you can read in full below.
“It goes without saying I did a super-fuck up today. And it was incredibly selfish of me,” the apology reads. “It was clear I was sick in some respect. Deciding to play or even go to the venue was a massive mistake.” Hungrybox also highlights the times he was seen without a mask during the event, clarifying that he will be taking mask protocols more seriously at events moving forward and has urged his fans and other attendees to do the same.
Despite the lack of mask and attending an event with a large number of people while potentially having COVID, Hungrybox was actually a part of COV-AID two years ago. An event featuring streamers and celebrities that raised money for Americares and Boys & Girls Club of America. The apology appears to come from a good place and Hungrybox realizes he made a mistake, it's just a shame he was able to attend in the first place and neither the streamer nor those running the event thought it was a bad idea before it was allowed to happen.