Cover-Credits:
Team SoloMid (TSM) sacked its League of Legends coach and head of player development Peter Zhang on 19th March. In its official statement, the organization 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.
Zhang reportedly borrowed money from TSM members
Additionally, Dexerto confirmed Zhang was also borrowing money from many figures under the TSM banner, including players from both the LCS and Academy teams. “The veracity of this claim is not clear but when affected parties raised concerns about the loans, they started to be paid back. At the time of reporting this, almost all the money has been recouped,” read the original report.
While speaking to Dexerto, Zhang accepted that he owed money to former TSM support player Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Chieh. He was reportedly stalling the payment of the sum he made through the sale of SwordArt’s car due to his grandmother’s surgery.
Former TSM player Yiliang Peter “Doublelift” Peng also said on his Twitch stream that Zhang approached multiple members of TSM to send him “anywhere between $12-25K USD.”
Investigation underway, says LCSPA
The League of Legends Championship Series Player Association (LCSPA) commented on the issue and said an investigation was underway. It wrote, “The LCSPA was made aware in recent days of the circumstances that led to Peter Zhang's removal from TSM. An investigation is underway to ensure all players are adequately protected and supported.”
Adding to this, LCSPA Executive Director Phillip Aram said it was a difficult situation and that their number one priority is to keep player wellbeing at the forefront. He added, “We must make sure each player has good council and clarity on their rights and any due recourse.”
What transpired in the TSM camp?
On 19th March, TSM released an official statement on its Twitter handle which read, “We were recently made aware of the very serious allegations of conflict of interest and unethical practices against League of Legends coach Peter Zhang. After an initial investigation, we have terminated him effective immediately. We are working with external legal counsel to complete a full investigation.” Following this, LCS Commissioner Jackie Felling confirmed that Zhang’s firing had nothing to do with match-fixing or betting.
This comes in the wake of TSM battling roster issues and poor performances in the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) Spring Split 2022. At the time of writing, TSM was in 9th place in the league with a scoreline of 4-11.
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