In the Korean League of Legends, a scandal has been raging for weeks surrounding Team Griffin, one of the strongest professional teams in the LCK. Riot has permanently banned the former coach, cvMax. However, this is now being postponed.
Why was the coach banned? The former coach of Team Griffin, Kim “cvMax” Dae-ho, received a “lifetime ban” from Riot Games. This was on November 19.
He was not allowed to participate in eSports events organized by Riot Games. This effectively served as a professional ban, preventing the coach from pursuing his new job as a LoL coach at DragonX.
Riot Games stated that the former head coach of Team Griffin had engaged in “violent measures” against his players, both physical and verbal. Due to reports and witness testimony, this violent behavior could be confirmed.
This behavior is not tolerated, hence the harsh penalty.
One of the affected players, top laner Sword, stated in an interview with Inven that the coach grabbed him by the collar and shook him. He also allegedly insulted him repeatedly.
Another player from Team Griffin said he heard that the coach had “pinched someone so hard that they had to cry.”
The coach allegedly insulted players as “motherless,” which is one of the worst things to say to a Korean.
200,000 sign petition to the government
This was the reaction: Coach cvMax himself has denied these allegations. He stated that he did not say or do anything that would warrant such a harsh punishment. Violence in coaching is dangerous because it can destroy trust.
As reported by Inven, the LoL community has sided with the coach after the lifetime ban was announced. They found the punishment too harsh considering he insulted someone and allegedly “pinched hard” a player.
In Korea, an online petition was created to the Korean government. This petition demanded the South Korean government investigate Riot Games and the original ruling. If a petition reaches 200,000 signatures, the government must address it. Currently, there is no official response from a representative of the South Korean government.
Penalty against LoL coach postponed for now
This is what Riot Games is doing now: Riot Games has temporarily postponed the penalty against the coach. He may continue to train DragonX.
It is now stated by the responsible committee of the LCK that they will commission a third party, someone with legal competence who is trusted by the public, to investigate the incident.
Afterwards, they plan to reassess the case.
Riot Games apologizes for the lack of transparency. They did not want to present the evidence when announcing the original decision because the content could have caused further damage – to cvMax and the players.
It is also stated that they take the online petition “very seriously”: It is a “very serious warning for Riot Games and the committee.” They apparently have not earned the trust of LoL players.
At the same time, however, Riot Games is taking strong action against Team Griffin itself, albeit for different reasons:
