Riot bans two Valorant players after Galorants “teabagging” controversy
Riot GamesRiot Games has banned two female Valorant players from all competitions, including Game Changers, for up to nine months after comments in the Galorants Discord equating teabagging to sexual assault went viral.
The Valorant Game Changers scene was thrusted into the spotlight late in June 2022 after comments in the Galorants Discord — a popular community in the women’s esports space — equating teabagging to sexual assault went viral and divided players.
Moderators on the Discord failed to shut down the discussion, leading to messages being shared on social media. Some players made memes about the situation with some labeling the whole controversy as “absurd”.
However, it’s led to some serious consequences for two players. VCT Game Changers participants ‘Dawn’ and ‘Risorah’ have been banned for using “vulgar language” and “harassment”. Dexerto has withheld their names for their privacy.
Riot detailed the conversation that took place over three days, stating Dawn and Risorah both publicly targeted a player for their stance in the argument.
Riot Games“On June 27, the discussion evolved into an argument spanning multiple Twitter posts,” the ruling states. “Dawn’s responses included a vulgar and targeted remark at Player A.
“Risorah created multiple Twitter posts specifically targeted at Player A, in which Risorah pasted Galorants Discord conversations between themselves and Player A. Risorah proceeded to post a video they edited, in which they amplified and personally added vulgar commentary around Player A.”
Both players were suspended under Section 7.3.1 of the VCT Global Competition Policy regarding “vulgar or hateful speech” and Section 7.3.4 of Riot Games’ Terms of Service regarding “harassment”.
Dawn was banned for three months, while Risorah faces a nine-month suspension.
Dawn disputed the ruling, saying she “was literally told by Riot staff that what I said wasn’t vulgar.”
She also continued the argument in her statement following her suspension: “I have watched [sexual assault] happen in broad daylight. It is not something you can compare to crouching in a video game. I was visibly upset by this, as were hundreds of thousands of people, and replied under her thread expressing my frustrations and concerns.”
Risorah accepted her punishment: “While I’m still having a ton of emotions right now, it’s worth noting that I will be taking this punishment with the responsibility of my actions that led to my situation.”
Many have called out Riot for double standards regarding the ruling though, comparing it to previous suspensions in Valorant — namely disgraced Sentinels star Jay ‘sinatraa’ Won’s ban in 2021.
Sinatraa was banned for six months for not cooperating with Riot Games in their sexual assault investigation against him. He was accused of making false statements and “misrepresenting certain facts”.
He was also forced to undergo professional conduct training, before emails revealed a member of the Valorant Esports team allowed him to skip a mandatory section of said training.
Dawn’s ban will be lifted on September 27, 2022, while Risorah will remain banned until March 27, 2023.
