Jay “Sinatraa” Won’s announcement of his return has caused a frenzy in the esports industry. While some were excited with the news, others called him out for his statement while also demanding that he not be allowed to compete as a professional Valorant player anymore.
It has been a back-and-forth situation, and rightly so, mainly because such a delicate matter is seemingly not addressed properly. The ex-Sentinels player was ready to resume tryouts this week and was hopeful for a reunion with the Sentinels.
However, several individuals in the esports community, including esport journalist Liz Richardson, have openly expressed their displeasure with how things are being handled, especially with the severity of the accusations levelled at him. She said the way he is being welcomed is “disheartening, infuriating, and disgusting.”
With the backlash on social media regarding his announcement, the Valorant star has been vocal about his point of view. Sinatraa has attempted to rectify things, to the point of sharing the email correspondence he received from Riot Games regarding his status.
For context, this was the final determination I received from riot about my status. pic.twitter.com/l6TGolyIiZ
— Jay Won (@sinatraa) April 14, 2022
The message revealed that he was cleared to participate in competitive tournaments, on January 12, 2022. However, members of the esports community are fuming that he was not made to undergo any training, as excerpts from the mail stated, “We feel like you would already know most of the information covered in the training.”
It is ironic, considering that the Valorant player was banned for not cooperating with investigations, which is why getting a pass on a training focused on just that – cooperating with investigations – seems bizarre.
To that end, John Needham, the president of esports at Riot Games, has released a statement concerning Sinatraa’s attempted return. He acknowledged the email released by Sinatraa but has overruled the content of the earlier communique.
In his statement, he emphasized that Sinatraa is “required to undergo professional conduct training.” The president went on to say that the training will focus on how Won ought to conduct himself as a professional, the importance of complying with rules and regulations, and complying with investigations.
An update from John Needham – President, Esports, Riot Games pic.twitter.com/q8WtbVzE23
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) April 15, 2022
Recall that the primary reason why Sinatraa was banned from professional Valorant for six months was because of his unwillingness to cooperate with the Operations Team, who were conducting an investigation surrounding him.
The 22-year-old was accused of mental and sexual abuse by his ex-girlfriend Cleo ��cle0h�� Hernandez. With the suspension, the player lost the privilege of representing Sentinels in several esports tournaments, including the 2021 Valorant Champions Tour (VCT).
Sinatraa was hopeful he would feature in the 2022 VCT, but given recent developments, he might not be eligible to play. However, with the tournament resuming in September, he might make a return early enough if he successfully abides by the conditions set by Riot Games.
Even after that, he would first need to find a new team that will be willing to put him on their roster. While his abilities are commendable, teams might be concerned about his character.
]]>However, esports journalist for DotEsports Liz Richardson has expressed her displeasure with how the esports community has accepted him with open arms despite the seriousness of the accusations leveled at him.
Via his official Twitter page, Sinatraa announced his readiness to return to competitive play after a one-year absence. He also revealed that he would be starting tryouts this week and would favor a return to the Sentinels.
��It��s been a year since I was forced to step back from competitive play. In that time, I have learned a lot about myself and grown as a person. I am now ready for a return to competitive play and will be starting tryouts this week,�� he said.
It��s been a year since I was forced to step back from competitive play. In that time, I have learned a lot about myself and grown as a person. I am now ready for a return to competitive play and will be starting tryouts this week.
— Jay Won (@sinatraa) April 12, 2022
With the congratulatory messages and expectations of his return flooding the comment section, Liz sent out a thread via Twitter, condemning the way things have played out.
“I don’t want to hear a single word about ‘cancel culture’ in esports ever again after seeing the way most of the VALORANT community has welcomed S*natraa back with open arms. It’s disheartening. It’s infuriating. It’s disgusting.”
“You cannot possibly sit there confused about how widespread assault goes on at companies like ActiBlizz and esports orgs while thinking this is somehow a victory. Do you NOW see how powerful men “got away with it” for so long? Because it’s acceptable,” she continued.
I don't want to hear a single word about 'cancel culture' in esports ever again after seeing the way most of the VALORANT community has welcomed S*natraa back with open arms.
It's disheartening. It's infuriating. It's disgusting.
— Liz Richardson (@mizliz_) April 12, 2022
While serving the ban, Sinatraa has been streaming Valorant with friends on Twitch. At this point, it is unclear if any team has indicated an interest in the player, but seeing as he has tryouts scheduled, it is safe to say there are organizations looking to acquire his services.
Sinatraa’s ban, according to the Operations team, was for his failure to cooperate with the investigations. The Valorant player’s ex-girlfriend Cleo ��cle0h�� Hernandez accused him of mental and sexual abuse, which led the Operations team to open an investigation on him.
However, they released a statement saying they had concerns with Sinatraa’s conduct during the investigation. It was also reported that the player made false statements and misrepresented certain facts.
The Sentinels suspended Sinatraa before the six-months ban took effect, costing him participation in several esports tournaments, including the 2021 Valorant Champions Tour. They were eliminated in Round 1 of the Stage 1 Challengers Lower Bracket by the Version1, who were huge favorites on several esports betting sites.
We are aware of the current situation regarding Jay ��Sinatraa�� Won and have launched an investigation internally. While the investigation is pending, he is suspended from the team.
We will provide a further update once the investigation has concluded.
— Sentinels (@Sentinels) March 10, 2021
Perhaps they could have had a better run in the tournament if the 22-year-old was available. However, the team and league did not think it right to have him continue competing given the circumstances.
Meanwhile, the Sentinels are yet to make any statement concerning the player since his announcement. Sinatraa made the switch to Valorant from Overwatch in 2020 but has been inactive since March 2021.
]]>The ex-Sentinels player took to Twitter to make the announcement, also stating that he is ready to begin tryouts. However, it is unclear if his return would be a reunion with Sentinels.
“It��s been a year since I was forced to step back from competitive play. In that time, I have learned a lot about myself and grown as a person. I am now ready for a return to competitive play and will be starting tryouts this week,” he said.
When a fan asked where Sinatraa would prefer to restart his esports career, his response left no doubt: “First choice would be to return to Sentinels.”
Sinatraa will resume tryouts this week, as stated in his tweet. Although he missed the Valorant Champions Tour 2021, there is a chance he will feature this year, depending on the outcome of his tryouts.
The Sentinels failed to qualify for the VCT 2022 Reykjavik Masters after failing to defeat Version1 in Stage 1 Challengers Lower Bracket Round 1. V1 had the better form coming into the game and were favorites to win according to several esports betting sites.
The 22-year-old started his gaming career in 2016 but is new to Valorant. He chose to switch to Valorant in April 2020, citing “lost passions for the game” as his reason for leaving the Overwatch esports scene. However, he only played Valorant for a year before getting suspended.
During his days as an Overwatch player, Sinatraa displayed outstanding individual ability. Although he first played for Selfless Gaming, their disbandment a year after saw him join the San Francisco Shock of the Overwatch League (OWL).
In 2019, Sinatraa’s brilliance was at its peak as he helped the Shock win the 2019 OWL Grand Finals and was named the Most Valuable Player. He was also named an All-Star and awarded the Role Star commendation for DPS.
Later that year, he helped Team USA win the Overwatch World Cup and was also named the MVP of the tournament.
In March 2021, Sinatraa was accused of being abusive by his ex-girlfriend Cleo. She claimed she was subjected to mental and sexual abuse by the Valorant star.
Given the seriousness of the allegations and reported failure to cooperate with the investigation, the Valorant Competitive Operations Team opted to ban the player even before a full investigation was made.
In a statement, the Operations team said: “The Competitive Operations team had serious concerns with Sinatraa��s conduct during the course of the investigation. 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.”
Although Sinatraa was banned from participation, he has been streaming Valorant with friends on Twitch. Many wondered if he would take up streaming full-time, but the player has finally broken the silence.
]]>The Los Angeles-based esports organisation took to Twitter on Wednesday to announce their four-man VALORANT squad, which features two retired Overwatch pros in Jay “Sinatraa” Won and Jared “zombs” Gitlin as well as two ex-CS:GO players in Hunter “SicK” Mims and Shahzeeb “ShahZaM” Khan.
“Time to write the next chapter,” read the announcement.
“We are excited to announce details about our Valorant team consisting of sinatraa, ShahZaMk, zombs and SicK.”
Sentinels added that their new additions are working together to find a fifth member to complete the squad.
SicK announced his retirement from the CS:GO esports scene last Wednesday, claiming Counter-Strike had become “incredibly stale and tedious” after five years as a pro. He played for several prominent teams throughout his career, including Team SoloMid, Misfits Gaming, Rogue, Complexity Gaming and Chaos Esports Club.
The move to VALORANT sees SicK reunite with ShahZaM, with whom he played at TSM, Misfits and Complexity. The duo saw a lot of success in their joint endeavours, including a top-six finish at the Esports Championship Series Season 7 Finals with Complexity as well as a semi-finals appearance at the ESL Pro League Season 6 Finals and a silver medal at Americas Minor Championship – Boston 2018 with Misfits.
Joining the CS:GO duo is sinatraa, who was widely regarded as one of the best Overwatch esports pro in the world until he announced his retirement this week. Not only is the 20-year-old American is a reigning Overwatch League and Overwatch World Cup champion, he was named the 2019 OWL Most Valuable Player after leading the San Francisco Shock to their maiden title.
Sinatraa unveiled his shock retirement from the Overwatch scene with a Twitlonger post where he explained he had “straight up just lost passion for the game”. He added that while his decision was not an easy one, in his mind it was the right move to make.
Zombs, the fourth member of Sentinel’s VALORANT roster, was involved in Overwatch esports between 2016 and March 2019, although he never reached the same heights as sinatraa and never played in the Overwatch League. The 21-year-old American has spent the last year and a bit on Sentinels’ Apex Legends squad, helping them finish third in the EXP Invitational at X Games Minneapolis and sixth at the Apex Legends Preseason Invitational.
Sentinels are now one of many esports organisations who have gone early and signed a VALORANT roster while the game is still in the beta phase. Earlier this month, Ninjas in Pyjamas announced that their entire Paladins squad would convert to Riot Games’ highly anticipated first-person shooter.
Such moves have been met with mixed opinions, seeing how VALORANT does not yet have an established competitive scene outside of the CLUTCH Series and a few minor tournaments.
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