Team Dignitas League of Legends player Christian ‘IWillDominate’ Rivera will dominate no more, at least not professionally. Riot has issued a lifetime ban against the player for unsportsmanlike behaviour.
Why such harsh punishment you ask? Simple, this wasn’t the first time that Rivera has been in Tribunal, he’s been there nine times and punished eight times. According to this forum post he has a “persistent record of in-game harassment, verbal abuse, offensive language and negative attitude.” Even though he had received numerous punishments and warnings, the player’s harassment score has risen more than 30% from early August to the present time, which places him at the top of the list of North American pro players and among the worst 0.7% of all North American players.
Rivera has received a one year ban from playing in the League of Legends Championship Series and a permanent ban on all other existing known accounts used belonging to him.
Riot VP of eSports posted the following: “We take sportsmanship and player behaviour very seriously, and we fundamentally believe that pro players should not be exempt from scrutiny over their behaviour. In fact, we believe pros have an additional opportunity to act as positive role models for the entire community.
The decision to impact someone’s career is not one we make lightly, which is why this is tough news to deliver. Unfortunately, our Tribunal recently was forced to permanently ban a pro player as a response to his persistent toxic behaviour, and after closely reviewing the individual’s case and history, the Riot eSports team has issued a ruling that follows this post.
We fully understand that there are other pro players who behave poorly from time to time, and we do not condone any unsportsmanlike behaviour. It’s important to note how severe and consistent the behaviour of this particular individual was, as is outlined in the ruling. No other professional players in NA approach this individual’s harassment score – that said, we monitor all pro player behaviour actively and we will continue to make that clear to all pro teams, and will take necessary action should any other players demonstrate unacceptable behaviour in the future.”
So, what’s the lesson kids? It’s okay to be a gamer and be part of the culture, but it’s NOT okay to abuse other players. Don’t be stupid enough to hurt your own professional gaming career as a result of bad behaviour.
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Last Updated: December 5, 2012
