![Riot suspends Chet from VALORANT for sharing VODs: “[I] wasn’t able to accept any team offers” cover image](https://admin.esports.gg/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Chet-VALORANT-968x544.jpg)
Chet unsurprisingly disagrees with Riot’s ruling.
Riot Games handed over a five-month suspension to VALORANT head coach Chet "Chet" Singh on Monday, Oct. 14, which will force the coach to stay on the sidelines until March 3, 2025.
The former NRG coach violated Riot's Global Esports Code of Conduct for distributing unauthorized VODs on July 31, 2024. According to Riot, Chet didn't secure permission from Riot, NRG, and the other teams involved, and that constitutes a breach of "proprietary information."
These VODs were from older NRG matches in VCT Americas, and Chet streamed them on Twitch with full comms such as the clip below.
What were the breaches?
"The VoDs in question are considered confidential and only made available to players and organizations for competitive use and as approved by Riot Games," Riot's ruling reads. "This content of earlier NRG matches included team communications (e.g., communication between players, coaches and referees during the matches), all of which are considered confidential."
By doing that, Chet breached Articles 3.2.1 and 4.10 of Riot's Global Esports Code of Conduct:
- 3.21 Confidential Information. Esports Professionals may have access to information that is confidential to Riot Games or one of its affiliates or that is competitively sensitive. Examples of such confidential information may include (a) team lineups, (b) team strategy, (c) the results of pre-recorded matches that are broadcast or streamed to audiences at a later date, (d) information that is embargoed pending a “reveal”, and (e) information Esports Professionals gain access to during investigations or disciplinary proceedings. Esports Professionals may not deliver/leak Riot confidential or non-public information to others or use it for any purpose other than competing in Riot Games esports competitions. Similarly, Esports Professionals may not request or facilitate any such provision of confidential or non-public information, whether for their own gain or for the gain of others.
- 4.10 Team Sanctions and the Role of Team Leadership. If a particular Riot game title is played by teams, the team may be subject to disciplinary action based on the conduct of its Esports Professionals. A team’s owners, coaches, and managers may be held to a higher standard of conduct, given their important role in setting an example for others and helping to create and maintain a positive esports ecosystem.
Chet comments on his VALORANT suspension: 'I will be streaming in the meantime'
Minutes after Riot made the suspension public, Chet commented on the decision that will keep him banned from VALORANT until March 2025.
"I disagree with their ruling as no damages were done to either party but I can no longer compete until March so until then I will be streaming in the meantime," Chet wrote on X. "I wasn't able to accept any team offers due to this ongoing sadly, sorry guys," Chet wrote on another tweet.
Related articles
VALORANT fans claim NRG "snitched" on Chet, organization denies
After the news dropped, some VALORANT fans started saying on X and Reddit that NRG "snitched" on Chet. What caused this conspiracy theory is the fact that Chet and NRG's current head coach Malkolm "bonkar" Rench recently started a beef online.
Chet mocked bonkar in NRG's announcement on X four days ago, prompting a response from the man who replaced him. Bonkar told Andrej "babybay" Francisty that he "actually understands the game" and is going to do better than Chet.
However, NRG straight-up denied snitching on Chet, thus dismissing the community gossip.
"For the record, NRG had no involvement in this process," NRG Chief Gaming Officer Jaime Cohenca wrote on X. "Please stop pushing the narrative that we snitched on Chet."
While the suspension will only last until March 2025, it'll likely hurt Chet's chances of landing a job in VALORANT as he'd lose VCT Masters Bangkök.
Though it doesn't seem much, this means he can't help an organization to build their roster for next season.
Chet has been a free agent since July 2024 and is one of the most popular coaches in the scene, mostly because of his victorious time with Envy and OpTic Gaming between 2021 and 2022.
