Well, I saw a legit BB here, who changed team and the professor (who promoted him) withdrawed verification at beltchecker. I know the guy and he is for sure a legit BB! This kind of „creonte“-bullshit should have been left behind by creating a source like beltchecker.com. I thought the idea of this project is, to free BJJ from that kind of arbitrariness and artificial borders. To me it is a disappointing behaviour of a high ranked professor…. Am I wrong with this kind of self-understanding as a part of beltchecker-community? What do You think about?

I personally don't agree with that but I have seen it. If I promote a person I stick by it whether they stay with me or leave or even if they leave and I just don't like them. I stick by the promotion. Many Black Belts behave as if their students owe them something or they have some kind of power over them. Guess what, they do not have any power or control over anyone. Now if a student that got promoted to Black Belt turns out to be a child molestor, murderer and criminal, you can easily just disassociate yourself with them. You can't deny that you promoted them at the time.

The good news is, it’s doesn’t happen very often.

I would vote in case of doubt mostly in favour of the person who is at the end of the chain and just wants to verify to be a legit whatever.

[...]If we, out of sympathy, verify without evidence in those cases, [...]

Currently there is a funny schizophrenic situation where your instructor has REJECTED your BB but still has his +175 points :D

By having a short look at the questioned profile aside from the points I saw a very interesting (obviously not BJJ-) belt of the professor while promoting Thilo. Maybe we have to divide in stripping of a „hiddensuperforce“-grade but keeping a legit BJJ belt?! -Sorry for just kidding OT…. :-)

A similar case is a BB given by the closest instructor (a <2 degree BB) but formally awarded by the instructors instructor (a (non present) >2 degree BB) who doesn't issue a diploma (diploma only signed by <2 degree BB). Where affiliations were changed between the closest instructor and the instructors instructor. There was no evidence produced before the split, but now the student now would like the BB recognised through Beltchecker. I don't think the instructors instructor has been contacted yet, but what if this person doesn't want to make an effort confirming his promotions of students of one of his students who is no longer affiliated? I.e. the promoting instructor doesn't revoke or deny the promotion but possibly doesn't confirm or even comment on it either. We don't know about the outcome in this case and I hope the person will get the evidence needed. But I could also see a situation where the instructors instructor doesn't at all feel any such obligation. So is that 'creonteism' too? I personally think so, although in the case of someone commiting terrible crimes, I can understand it.

Well most places I’ve been take pics of promotions so the person can always add that to their profile. Yes some won’t verify on belt checker but with pics of all promotions some will verify through their contacts your legit.

There were pics, but without the promoting instructor, who still has never met the promoted person. The BJJ Globetrotters were kicked out of IBJJF for less, but this was a Brazilian led team which often places in top 3 in the mundials, so gringo rules don't apply to them. The promotion pictures instead showed the promoted persons everyday instructor (who affiliated with the promoting instructor only earlier the same year and got his own BB the year before) plus two BB:s (without degrees) from the promoting instructors academy and those two were only there for the promotion. The promoted persons diploma was only signed by the everyday BB instructor (without degrees). I know you were speaking more generally, but in this case, there really is no evidence. And even if evidence is produced from the promoting instructor, it shouldn't be accepted even by the IBJJF, if they are to apply the same standards as when BJJ Globetrotters were kicked out and they wrote 'When professors sign for memberships of students who do not train under their guidance, such actions risk damaging the integrity of the sport, which goes against the values of IBJJF'.

To be serious again: For me it is NOT o.k. to wear any belt aside BJJ during a BJJ promotion. Any pic documentation otherwise is not possible. Other martial arts-ranks do not have any evidence. In this case it is quite clear, that the lineage and the promoting professor are legit. But it is a fundamental thing.