T1 Officially Speaks Out Regarding Zeus and Gumayusi’s Situation
Recently, according to the official announcement, T1 officially held a press conference to clarify all the issues that the fan community of this team has consistently raised since the beginning of the year. Notably, this is the first time a League of Legends team that has won the World Championship has to hold a press conference about such controversies. Two of the main issues that attracted public attention are the situations of Zeus and Gumayusi.
According to sources, despite the representative of Zeus’s agency, ThePlay, not having an appropriate response from T1, COO Josh Ahn also extended his apologies to Zeus and his family due to the controversies that arose following the transfer situation. T1 also confirmed that they fully support Zeus but under the condition that they must adhere to the achievements of Zeus and T1 during the season.
This situation signifies the drama surrounding Zeus, which could be seen as a significant setback, and T1 has fully accepted the blame for their part in it. However, in the COO’s statement, he also emphasized a point: “Gumayusi also mentioned that he wants HLE to go to MSI instead of Gen.G, which stems from his personal feelings and the loyalty of Gumayusi towards Zeus.” Nevertheless, this has stirred up various reactions regarding Gumayusi’s situation following the announcement.
Specifically, COO Josh expressed surprise along with CEO Joe regarding Gumayusi’s elevation to the main roster, and the COO emphasized, “We and the coaching staff have had some disagreements about the upcoming lineup.” At the same time, the COO also clarified that the final lineup decisions belong to the coaching staff, and afterward, the new operational positions will be announced.
COO T1’s Statement Sparks Controversy
Following the COO’s apology, it can be said that the situation surrounding Zeus has become a topic of discussion and this player’s situation has not been received positively regarding the ongoing criticism during this time. Additionally, Gumayusi’s situation has also shown significant tension, especially from T1’s fanbase. When General Manager Becker and Coach KkOma explicitly stated that T1 wanted to gather more data, COO Josh did not deny that he and CEO Joe Marsh were unaware of this situation.
After the COO’s statement, new controversies are likely to arise. However, ultimately, only the players are the ones who have to “bear the burden” due to the complicated and unreasonable handling from the higher-ups of the organization.
