Fuel releases OWL pro Decay for refusing to practice or work with staff
Carlton Beener for Blizzard EntertainmentThe Dallas Fuel have released Overwatch pro Gui-un ‘Decay’ Jang from his contract citing his refusal to practice or work with staff. The news comes only two months after the DPS star was accused of benching himself to play Valorant.
Decay was having a potentially MVP-caliber year with the Fuel, frequently seeing success with his Tracer play in conjunction with fellow Korean star Dong-ha ‘Doha’ Kim.
However, it seems like there was some truth to the rumors about his work ethic as the Fuel announced on August 3 that the player had been released.
“We have granted the request of Gui-un ‘Decay’ Jang to release him from his contract prior to the end of the 2020 OWL season,” the team announced on Twitter.
We have granted the request of Gui-un "Decay" Jang to release him from his contract prior to the end of the 2020 OWL season. Our management is focused on evaluating changes and building a cohesive team that will be positioned for future success.
— Dallas Fuel (@DallasFuel) August 3, 2020
According to Team Envy founder Mike ‘Hastr0’ Rufail, he had a few months left on his contract, but “refused to work with our staff.”
“When a player refuses to practice, it is time for us to move on and give our players their best shot,” he added. “Decay is obviously a great player, but he didn’t fit into our team and didn’t want to cooperate with the goals of our staff. We just can’t keep someone like that around.”
Hastr0 explained that the team has had success in Overwatch in the past. While the team’s history pre-Overwatch League was filled with overwhelming victories at the likes of MLG Vegas and Apex Season One, the squad has yet to make a splash in OWL.
Decay is obviously a great player, but he didn't fit into our team and didn't want to cooperate with the goals of our staff. We just can't keep someone like that around. We wish him the best and hope he can find a place where his talent fits.
— Mike Rufail (@hastr0) August 3, 2020
“We are still working hard to make a playoff push and feel like we have great players to do that with. Not ideal, but we will keep on pushing,” he said. “Tough decisions have to be made sometimes and this was certainly one. Staying positive and looking forward to correcting our course.”
As Dexerto previously reported, Decay was rumored to be difficult to work with for the Fuel. On Reddit, Atlanta Reign’s head coach, Brad Rajani, claimed the 19-year-old benched himself back in June and implied he prefers playing Riot Games’ FPS Valorant.
There’s no telling where Decay will go from here, but any team looking for a star DPS to join their could have their eyes set on the talented superstar.
