Valorant Pro Sinatraa Suspended by Riot for Not Cooperating with Sexual Assault Investigation
Cover-Credits:
- Valorant pro player Sinatraa has been suspended for six months by Riot Games due to non-compliance during an investigation.
- The player was accused of sexual assault in March 2021, and he has misrepresented facts and made false statements according to Riot Games.
- Sinatraa will be able to compete again from September 2021 if there are no further developments.
Jay “Sinatraa” Won has been suspended by Riot Games for not fully cooperating with an investigation against him because of sexual assault allegations made by his ex-girlfriend Cleo "cle0h" Hernandez. She accused the Valorant pro of sexual abuse, mental abuse, manipulation, and lying. Won’s organization Sentinels and Riot Games launched independent investigations. Riot Games stated that Sinatraa did not cooperate during the investigations and misrepresented facts and presented false statements. Sinatraa has been suspended for six months and will be unable to compete in Valorant professionally.
Riot Games’ Statement on Sinatraa
Riot Games revealed in a statement that the investigation against Sinatraa did not come to a definitive conclusion on the allegations made by Cle0h. However, the Competitive Operations team at Riot Games had serious concerns about Sinatraa’s conduct during the process. The studio revealed, "It was determined that on at least two occasions Sinatraa misrepresented certain facts, made false statements, and did not cooperate with the investigation in a way expected of a professional Valorant esports player.”
Sinatraa made a public commitment on social media to provide the full audio and video clip that was referenced by his ex-girlfriend. But he failed to provide the necessary information and did not cooperate with the Competitive Operations team. Riot Games added “Cooperation in these investigations is of the utmost importance, especially when the nature of the allegations is as serious as sexual assault. This behavior will not be tolerated by Valorant Esports."
Sinatraa’s Response to His Suspension
While Sinatraa has not been proven guilty or innocent, the suspension by Riot Games will affect his esports career. Following the announcement by Riot Games, he revealed when the legal PR team drafted an update for him, it was mentioned that Sinatraa would provide the video referenced by Cle0h in her statement.
However, he claims that he was unable to provide it because Cle0h asked him to delete any video clips and audio recorded during their relationship after breaking up. He said “I should not have promised something I could not personally deliver."
"This entire experience has been humbling and an opportunity for me to come out the other side a better person," said Sinatraa. "I now have an additional 4 months away from competitive play to spend time trying to develop a better set of interpersonal skills and to earn back the trust of this community. Again, I am truly sorry to everyone I let down or hurt."
When Will Sinatraa Return to Competitive Valorant?
Unless there are new developments in the investigation, Sinatraa will be able to return to competitive Valorant on September 10. The administrative suspension was handed by Riot Games back on March 10 and the information was made public by the studio recently He will also be required to complete professional conduct training before returning to Sentinels’ active roster.
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