In the latest development of an ongoing dispute over the legacy of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion Leandro Lo, his family has claimed that the Instagram account “nsbrotherhood” originally belonged to the late athlete and has been compromised.
“Good morning everyone. Please let’s report this account, it was h*cked!!!! This account belonged to Leandro Lo @nsbrotherhood Thanks,” read a message posted yesterday by the account “Institutoleandrolo” on social media.
This claim adds another layer to the escalating conflict between Lo’s family and the current leadership of NS Brotherhood, a team founded by Lo in 2015.
The dispute became public earlier this year when Fátima Lo, Leandro’s mother, shared an emotional plea on social media alleging that someone had taken advantage of the family’s vulnerability following her son’s passing in 2022. According to Fátima, this individual approached them claiming to want to assist with Brotherhood matters but instead took control of the brand.
“Brotherhood founded by Leandro Lo in 2015, a name that Leandro has always done justice to Brotherhood and fought all these years for this team, all with a lot of love affection and race,” Fátima stated. “He died with his name tattooed on his chest. He never aimed at money and neither did we.”
Fátima further claimed that the family discovered only in January 2025 that the Brotherhood trademark had been registered by another party, and that a company called NS Brotherhood had been established without proper authorization from the Lo family.
In response, NS Brotherhood released an official statement on February 21, 2025, defending the position of Augusto Ferrari, the current legal representative of the team. The organization maintained that Ferrari has been with the team since its creation in 2015 and has served as head coach since 2018.
“We strongly condemn any form of threats, insults, defamation, slander, or online harassment directed at Professor Augusto Ferrari,” the statement read. “His personal and professional journey has been marked by honesty, honor, and the fundamental values that Jiu-Jitsu provides.”
NS Brotherhood explained that Ferrari changed the legal name of his existing company, Ferrari Team Academy (established in 2010), to NS Brotherhood to ensure the team could operate legally and athletes could compete officially under the team name. They emphasized this was done to maintain “full legal compliance with organizations such as the Federal Revenue Service (Receita Federal) and JUCESP,” as well as to enable registration of the brand with INPI, Brazil’s intellectual property office.
The statement also addressed financial management issues: “This management included transferring part of the funds to the responsible institute, demonstrating transparency and commitment to the legacy. However, it is important to emphasize that this function was never effectively carried out by the appointed person.”
According to Fátima Lo, the family no longer has access to the original Brotherhood Instagram account, which was allegedly handed over to the same individual during their initial discussions.
“We’re going to fight against it. Not only are we fighting for justice, we’re counting on the help of those who love Leandro,” Fátima declared.
The controversy has divided the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community, with many of Lo’s friends and former teammates rallying to defend what they see as the champion’s legacy and the original spirit of Brotherhood, which Lo established as a symbol of unity rather than a commercial enterprise.
Both sides appear prepared to continue their legal and public relations battle, with NS Brotherhood concluding in their statement: “We request an immediate cessation of any personal or institutional attacks and reaffirm that, should such conduct persist, we reserve the right to take all appropriate legal measures to safeguard honor, moral integrity, and institutional image.”
