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In a recent press release, the League Championship Series gave a competitive ruling suspending TSM CEO Andy "Reginald" Dinh for two years and fined the organization $75,000. LCS claims that an external investigation has established a "pattern and practice of disparaging and bullying behavior exhibited by Andy Dinh towards TSM players and staff members."
As per the ruling, Dinh will be required to complete sensitivity training. An anonymous hotline will also be set up for the employees at Team SoloMid so that they can raise complaints without fear of backlash.
The decision to put the CEO on probation is in stark contrast to an internal investigation conducted by the company in May this year, which found no illegal activity perpetrated by Dinh, clearing his name from legal liability.
Everything you need to know about why former LoL pro turned TSM CEO Reginald was suspended from LCS
Riot's press release acknowledges that allegations of bullying and mocking players were brought forward against Reginald Dinh back in November 2021, which led to more players and staff coming forward with their stories corroborating the events.
Doublelift, a former League pro, had revealed the abusive climate being fostered behind closed doors at the organization on stream. He even blamed the authorities for covering it up, saying:
"He made a lot of players cry. You would be very f***ing surprised at how many of your favorite faces in LCS... legit mental breakdown. Because of how badly they were getting berated... how badly they were just getting verbally assaulted. It's just... It's the case of like a bully behind closed doors who gets covered up. I'm serious."
Riot has also made a distinction in its ruling, making it clear that they are not a substitute for the government-approved justice system and that their fines and suspensions are only limited to the "team's ancillary business." They also explained that the external LCS investigation was carried out alongside the internal investigation.
The ruling mentions a respective tweet by Reginald Dinh on February 19, 2021 directed toward a Cloud9 player, which they found to be denigrating and therefore in violation of their rules and regulations. The investigation did not mention the names of any accusers. This is the tweet they found to be in violation of the harassment rule:
The ruling pointed out that Reginald's conduct within his organization went against rules 14.3.1 (Profanity and Hate Speech) and 14.3.4 (Harassment is forbidden) and dictated a fine of $75K to be bourne by TSM as a team because Dinh, under the code conduct laid down by the LCS, is a member of the team. The terms of the fine, as explained in the press release, are as follows:
"TSM is fined seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000), which represents 3x the maximum fine for conduct unbecoming of an LCS Team Member to reflect the lengthy multi-year pattern we believe existed."
The ruling also mentions that:
"TSM is required to provide evidence within sixty (60) days that Dinh has completed: (i) sensitivity training; and (ii) executive training. The training must be provided by a third-party that is unaffiliated with TSM."
And last but not least:
"Dinh is being placed on probation for the next two years."
Social media reacts to Andy Reginald's probation
Most in the League of Legends community have welcomed the fact that the behavior of the CEO has been called out. The point of contention between some is about the penalty imposed. Many feel that $75k is nothing for a big organization like TSM and that it feels like a "slap on the wrist."
It's good to see a person in power being held accountable for their actions. As a cherry on top, Riot has also mentioned that the money fined from TSM will go to a charity that focuses on mental health and bullying.
