Sentinels & Riot Games suspend Valorant star Sinatraa amid sexual abuse investigations
SentinelsFollowing allegations of sexual abuse, Riot Games have opened an investigation against Jay ‘Sinatraa’ Won and have suspended him from the Valorant Stage 1 Masters until further notice. Sentinels have also suspended him from their team.
Sinatraa, 20, has been accused of sexual abuse by his ex-girlfriend Cleo ‘cle0h’ Hernandez who’s account alleged instances of harm and emotional distress. The allegation was supplemented by screenshots of text messages and a voice recording of the two.
Sentinels did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
— VALORANT Champions Tour NA (@valesports_na) March 10, 2021
After the document was shared and reported through the night, Riot announced on the morning of March 10 that the pro would not be eligible to play in the first weekend of the Valorant Champions Tour 2021: North America Stage 1 Masters while the investigation is ongoing.
Shortly after, the Sentinels released a Twitter statement revealing that Sinatraa has been suspended from the team while the “investigation is pending.”
“We are aware of the current situation regarding Jay “Sinatraa” Won and have launched an investigation internally. While the investigation is pending, he is suspended from the team. We will provide a further update once the investigation has concluded,” it read.
We are aware of the current situation regarding Jay “Sinatraa” Won and have launched an investigation internally. While the investigation is pending, he is suspended from the team.
We will provide a further update once the investigation has concluded.
— Sentinels (@Sentinels) March 10, 2021
Under the Valorant Champions Tour Global Competition Policy, Riot will keep Sinatraa from playing this weekend until they review the case, Global Head of Competitive Operations for Valorant, Alex Francois, said in the league’s statement.
Sinatraa finally responded to the allegations later in the day, claiming that he “never assaulted her in any way.”
His brief TwitLonger revealed that he is “fully cooperating with the investigations and providing full audio and video clips Cleo referenced in her post.”
we are going to be playing Masters with a sub https://t.co/oQiX2HQKpe
— Shahzeb Khan (@ShahZaMk) March 10, 2021
Sentinels’ Shahzeb ‘ShahZaM’ Khan’ revealed that the team will play in the Masters event with a sub, though the substitute player has yet to be announced.
Sinatraa is a pivotal member of the Sentinels lineup that quickly become one of North America’s top teams in the early phases of Valorant. He became a high-profile esports figure after winning the Overwatch League MVP in 2019, then appearing on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in the weeks to follow.
Sentinels are scheduled to face Luminosity Gaming on March 12 in their opening game at the Valorant Champions Tour Stage 1 Masters.
