It’s not unusual for esports teams in games likeLeague of Legendsto change up their rosters of players, as seen last week when theEvil Geniuses released Brandon “Brandini” Chen. However, sometimes these decisions come as a result of more serious matters, as seen Wednesday when Origen terminated its strategic coach Jack “Kayys” Kayser after Riot Games suspended him for exhibiting “unacceptable behaviour in his personal games.”
The initial suspension until Jun 27, 2025, was announced Tuesday in a competitive ruling from theLeague of LegendsEuropean Championship (LEC) after “periodic investigations” found Kayser used “discriminatory language towards other players” that has “no place in our competitive ecosystem.” Apparently the repeat violations were “egregious,” and therefore he was immediately suspended despite having no previous warnings.
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Origen, once part of the organization RFRSH Entertainment, announced it has parted ways with Kayser the day after with “no further comments to this personnel matter,” but wished him the best in his future endeavors. Kayser quote-tweeted the message from Origen saying that “no racial discriminatory language was used or is part of my character,” but that he made mistakes he regrets and accepts their repercussions.
The LEC Summer Split will begin on June 12, following the suspension of various events in the American and European leagues back in March due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Origen has made no announcements on social media about whether it will hire a new strategic coach before the start of the Summer Split, as coaches have proven to be valuable in othercompetitive games likeCall of Duty: Warzone.
Though it seems somewhat likely, it is unclear whether the severity of Kayser’s repercussions for using discriminatory language have anything to do with the currently amplified Black Lives Matter movements which multiple video game companies have been addressing in recent weeks. For instance, Infinity Ward announced its intent tocurb racist names inCall of Duty: Modern WarfareandWarzoneafter delaying the release ofModern WarfareSeason 4 andCall of Duty: MobileSeason 7.
League of Legendsis available now on PC.
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Source:League of Legends- Set language to “English (Europe)” to view statement.
