The young professional player Kyle “Danny” Sakamaki was considered an exceptional talent in American League of Legends after his fantastic debut season 2021/2022. However, the then 18-year-old suddenly decided to skip the finals and disappeared from the spotlight. Now he returns as a content creator, and more details about the circumstances of his career ending are coming to light: Apparently, his team did not adequately care for the needs of the now 19-year-old.
What has been the story so far? In 2022, Danny was on the best path to becoming one of the greats in League of Legends: In April, the bot laner helped his team, the Evil Geniuses, win the championship in the Spring Split and set a few records along the way.
Less than half a year later, in September 2022, the pressure seemed to be too much for the young professional: Danny took a break, opted not to play in the next final, wanting to focus on his mental health.
Private messages from Danny’s friends and family, published in December 2022 by LEC analyst Caedrel, shed a different light on the matter: The young player reportedly returned home in poor condition, possibly undernourished and malnourished.
Allegations against the LoL professional’s team, Evil Geniuses, arose. CEO Nicole LaPointe Jameson, however, denied everything. Almost a year after his great success, Danny returned at the end of February 2023 and defended his team.
However, he is no longer an active player, but a content creator for Evil Geniuses.
Subsequently, more details regarding the circumstances of his break came to light. Three journalists published major insider reports about Danny’s short career and his premature career end.
Serious allegations against his team were raised again:
- Danny is autistic
- The team neglected his mental and physical health
- Riot announced that it was already investigating EG.
Did EG neglect the needs of an autistic player?
Where did the information come from? According to information from the US site Dexerto, several sources from the e-sports organization spoke up and discussed Danny’s treatment. Journalists Richard Lewis, Duncan “Thorin” Shields, and Arsh Goyal published analyses that depicted how much EG had let the young player down.
How did the problems start? According to Goyal, the difficulties surrounding Danny began during the Mid-Season Invitational in May 2022, which took place in Busan, South Korea.
In addition to the already demanding MSI schedule, the unfamiliar environment became an additional source of stress for Danny: EG had also not sent the usual performance staff to Korea.
Danny, whose autism diagnosis was reportedly known to the staff, needs stability and consistency according to Goyal. The loss of his familiar environment and the pressure to perform likely affected him greatly. After EG’s elimination, he posted that he was glad the MSI was over. A post that understandably reminded fans, as they were unaware of his difficulties.
Since it is a spectrum, there can be large differences in what symptoms an autistic person has, how pronounced they are and how much support they need. Often, people with autism have particularly pronounced interests and need fixed routines.
More information can be found at Autismus-Kultur and MSD Manuals.
In the summer after MSI, Danny’s condition reportedly worsened, which was said to have caused increasing concern among staff. The then 18-year-old reportedly withdrew, was said to have arrived late to practice games, and his performance reportedly declined.
EG was said to have initiated measures for Danny’s well-being, including a visit to his family during the annual summer break. However, management apparently insisted that the 18-year-old remain part of the active team.
Danny was apparently pushed far beyond his limits
How did the crisis occur? In the reports by Richard Lewis and Arsh Goyal, there is disagreement about whether EG was already informed before the playoffs that Danny no longer wanted to play. At the latest, after the defeat against Cloud9 in the first round, the 18-year-old reportedly expressed his desire to quit.
This request for a break, however, was not granted. Decision-makers, including CEO Nicole LaPointe Jameson and Director of Performance Lindsey “Gamerdoc” Migliore reportedly opposed sending Danny to the bench.
The reason for the decision was concerns about the market value of the star player and his importance to the EG brand. Danny reportedly entered a deal with management out of a sense of duty to help his team qualify for the Worlds.
LoL match drags on for over 8 hours – it was likely the breaking point
What was the trigger for the final crisis? The 2nd round of the playoffs, a best-of-five against TSM, apparently tipped the scale: Staff were already trying to avoid prolonged stress for the 18-year-old, but the match turned out to be a tremendous burden. Due to audio problems, the game dragged on for over 8 hours, which was apparently too much for the young professional.
After the devastating Bo5 against TSM, it was reportedly clear to internal sources that Danny was not in condition to continue playing. His teammates, of whom only Jeong “Impact” Eon-yeong knew beforehand how the 18-year-old was doing, expressed concerns.
According to Goyal, Coach Peter Dun was approached by a member of the leadership team to persuade Danny to play against Team Liquid. Dun reportedly refused and, as a result of the demand, decided not to extend his contract with EG.
Despite all the concerns, the 18-year-old played against Team Liquid. Before the match, management members reportedly made disparaging remarks about the young player: it was damn annoying that he ruined everything.
Following the match, Danny flew home to his family and withdrew from the public eye.
18-year-old was reportedly underweight and malnourished
How serious was Danny’s condition? Upon returning home, the 18-year-old reportedly was severely underweight and had several associated medical problems. However, he allegedly declined a hospital stay, as it had come this far only due to his stay in an unfamiliar environment.
For the family, Danny’s condition was a shock: apparently, no one had informed them about the health concerns. They were also assured that mental health would be taken into consideration and that the young player would be adequately cared for – this was not the case.
Riot is investigating Evil Geniuses
What are the consequences? In December 2022, Twitch streamer Caedrel published private messages from family members, leading to allegations against the organization. As reported by the US site Dexerto, a spokesperson for the LCS confirmed that they were aware of the allegations regarding Danny’s treatment.
By the end of 2022, an external law firm was apparently commissioned to investigate. However, the investigation is still ongoing.
The accusation that a coach lost his job after advising the family to contact the LCS Players Association, however, has yet to be confirmed.
More focus on mental health in e-sports
What else went wrong? Other staff raised allegations against EG that go beyond Danny’s case: Management has no connection with staff, makes wrong decisions, and overall lacks empathy.
What does Danny say himself? In his announcement to work as a content creator for Evil Geniuses from now on, Danny defended the organization: The pressure was simply too much for him, but he received ongoing support from EG (via Twitter).
What could have been done better? Nevertheless, the question remains whether the crisis could have been prevented if there had been a stronger focus on mental health within the organization and in e-sports in general.
Goyal describes the staff of EG in his report as “shockingly ill-equipped” to deal with crises in mental health. Warning signs were overlooked and boundaries were crossed because no one knew better.
The organization urgently needed an expert in mental health to work with players and advise them in decision-making. The problems did not originate from the unhealthy internal culture of the organization, but from the general neglect of mental health.
LoL: “Besides the game, there isn’t much in my life,” says a star player and begins to cry on Twitch
