This Disgraced Valorant Pro's Return Is Causing An Uproar

At one point in time, Jay Won (who goes by Sinatraa) was at the top of his game as the Overwatch League's MVP. Even though he eventually quit "Overwatch" and moved on to "Valorant," the gamer still wowed the esports community with his skills in the battle royale arena, playing with the Los Angeles-based Sentinels professionally. However, he was suspended from the game for six months after being accused of assault and refusing to cooperate with an investigation from Riot Games (via Kotaku). Now, Won has announced his return, to mixed responses in the gaming community.

On April 12, Won tweeted, "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." Many esports fans were excited to see Won return others doubted that he'd actually learned anything from his sexual assault allegations. One gamer commented, "It's absolutely not safe for him to be back. The VERY least the org could do is make him take a class on sexual consent before letting him return but there's no way they did even that." Others simply wanted to know more about what happened, as the case never seemed completely resolved. Even Won's ex, who accused him of assault, spoke out on the player's return.

Cleo Hernandez was the other party involved in Won's sexual assault case, and accused the gamer of abusing her throughout their relationship. Hernandez tweeted that with Won back in the news it was difficult to avoid seeing him. She criticized "Valorant" and the esports community at large for welcoming him back, writing, "it's been obvious for a long time that Valorant is a safe haven for abusers and edgy 17 year olds who think saying offensive stuff is peak comedy." While the "Valorant" team has attempted to make the game more inclusive for women, Won's return to the game's esports scene has made the community question that dedication.

Won said that his first choice team would be the Sentinels, and that prospect looks entirely likely, as the team recently began including Won in their YouTube videos again after not doing so for almost a year. It's unclear what happened regarding Won's sexual assault allegations, and it's possible viewers will never get a complete answer. While Riot Games' ruling noted that Won would have to undergo "conduct training" to return to the game, it's unclear what that training entailed.