"It's disheartening. It's infuriating. It's disgusting.": Valorant community reacts to Sinatraa's professional return after suspension due to assault allegations

Jay Won, better known as "Sinatraa," recently announced his intention to return to competitive play in Valorant after spending a year away due to s*xual abuse allegations. The Overwatch and Valorant pro was once a popular face among fans before his career was affected by several allegations of assault in early 2021.

Riot also gave him a six-month suspension due to concerns regarding his conduct during the course of the investigation. Although Sinatraa's suspension ended in September last year, he only recently stated that he was ready to make a return to competitive play.

A comment on the issue (Image via Froskurinn, Twitter)

Although the news gladdened some fans, others from the community showcased concerns over his return. Many called out the abuse allegations against him and the widespread nature of these issues in the industry.

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Players and journalists discuss the news about Sinatraa's intent to return to competitive Valorant

Through a tweet on his official Twitter account on April 12, Sinatraa announced his decision to step back into the competitive scene of Valorant. He said he was ready and that he "will be starting tryouts this week." Responding to a fan, he also mentioned that his first choice "would be to return to Sentinels."

Back in 2021, Sentinels' captain ShahZaM had clarified that they were not looking to change their roster when asked if Sinatraa would join once his suspension was over. But multiple sources have recently stated that Zombs will likely be benched by the outfit, with Sinatraa being a potential candidate to replace him.

The gaming industry at large has been repeatedly shocked by such allegations in recent years. In one of the most recent cases, Activision Blizzard was hit with a number of s*xual harassment lawsuits reflecting the workplace culture that was prevalent and sustained within the organization.

According to some members of the Valorant community, Sinatraa being welcomed back is a disheartening piece of news given the seriousness of the allegations against him. For them, he gets the opportunity to become "a superstar again with 0 consequences" because people who are a part of the industry will refrain from talking about the issues to avoid controversy or harassment.

Others also noted the wording of Sinatraa's tweet, "being forced to step back," as a point of contention given the grave nature of the allegations against him.

For context, Sinatraa's ex-partner, Cleo “cle0h”, accused him of s*xual assault, through a detailed statement on social media. Given the seriousness, Riot announced that they were aware of the situation and Sinatraa would not be allowed to compete in the VCT NA Masters One event.

He was soon suspended by Sentinels from their roster. Sinatraa later posted a statement where he denied having assaulted his ex-partner.

Riot further suspended the player for a period of six months with the following communication:

"Jay “Sinatraa” Won has violated Rule 8.1 of the VALORANT Global Competition Policy for failing to fully cooperate with the Tournament Operator’s investigation and will be suspended for six months. He will also be required to complete professional conduct training."

The police investigation against the player was dropped after the ex-partner revealed she had stopped pursuing the investigation because it affected her emotional health.

It remains to be seen with which outfit Sinatraa will finally make his competitive return to Valorant. For now, the news of the comeback is embroiled in controversy.