Cover-Credits:
On 8th August, Riot Games published a competitive ruling against former Team SoloMid League of Legends coach Zhang “Peter Zhang” Yi. Riot permanently banned Peter Zhang from any association or affiliation with a team or an organization in a Riot-sanctioned competition.
TSM sacked its League of Legends coach and head of player development Peter Zhang on 19th March and in its official statement, it mentioned serious allegations of conflict of interest against Zhang.
A Dexerto report by Richard Lewis stated that the reason behind his sacking was due to financial irregularities and because Zhang had an “agent-style setup” where he would secure Chinese and Taiwanese players’ spots on the team for a cut of their earnings.
Following this, the League of Legends Championship Series Player Association (LCSPA) commented on the issue and said an investigation was underway.
Riot Games releases official statement
Riot Games and the League Championship Series (LCS) banned Zhang permanently as they believed that he had “alarming and unethical behavior towards current and former TSM players and staff.”
Riot Games and the LCS confirmed that Peter Zhang violated the LCS Rule Set and the LCS Eligibility and Release Agreement by diverting portions of player salaries to accounts that belonged to him and his associates. It added that he also misled and failed to fully compensate a former TSM player for the sale of their car and that he solicited loans from various TSM players and staff.
Therefore it wrote, “Peter Zhang engaged in unethical behavior towards current and former TSM players and staff in violation of Rule 14.2.10 of the LCS Rule Set and Section 2 of the LCS Eligibility and Release Form. Consequently, Peter Zhang is permanently banned from any association or affiliation with a team or organization in a Riot-sanctioned competition.”
What rules did Peter Zhang violate?
According to the statement issued by the company today, Peter Zhang was found in violation of LCS Rule Set - Section 14.2.10 and LCS Eligibility and Release Agreement Section 2.
LCS Rule Set
Section 14.2.10: League Discretion
Any other further act, failure to act, or behavior which, in the sole judgment of League Officials, violates these Rules and/or the standards of integrity established by the League for competitive gameplay.
LCS Eligibility and Release Agreement
Section 2: PLAY BY THE RULES
I agree to abide and be bound by the Tournament Rules, the LCS Rules, and the Summoner’s Code (collectively, the “Rules”)… I further agree to take no action that is inconsistent with applicable law, the Rules, and/or the standards of good conduct, fair play, and good sportsmanship.
On 25th March, Peter Zhang wrote a Twitlonger to clear the air. He said he "was not [a] player agent and never took a cut" from the players’ salaries. He stated that the part of the report that claimed that he "would work with management to select players for their roster" made it seem like he “chose players on purpose and messed up scouting” for his benefit.
TSM has yet to put out a statement from its side and Peter Zhang’s Twitter account has been deleted.
