**TL;DR:** ANEW Esports management and coaching staff were found to have extensively tampered with and poached Wildcard Gaming jungler William “Trixter” Benoit. Trixter was found to have solicited ANEW Esports to acquire him while he was fulfilling a league-recognized contract with Wildcard Gaming. Trixter, Akash “ArgentumSky” Gupta, Edward “Eddy Lee” Lee, and Abhishek “Sidestep” Samadder are banned from any association or affiliation with a team in a Riot-sanctioned league for the duration of the 2021 NA Amateur Competitive Season.
**Context**
The LCS restructured the North America Amateur competitive landscape at the end of 2020 to feature two tiers of Amateur play that would qualify teams for LCS Proving Grounds, a tournament in which the best Amateur and Academy teams will face off. Amateur teams could sign players to league-recognized contracts and list those players on the Global Contract Database (“GCD”). In November 2020, Amateur organizations ANEW Esports and Wildcard Gaming were made aware that the GCD would cover Amateur players and were offered the opportunity to register their players. ANEW Esports had knowledge of the GCD and its implications but did not register any of their players. Wildcard Gaming registered four of their five players onto the GCD, including jungler William “Trixter” Benoit and support Sam “Daption” Zarriz.
Any team members listed on the GCD are granted poaching protection. In other words, other teams may not solicit, lure, or make an offer of employment to any players or coaches listed under their team’s section of the GCD. Additionally, team members listed on the GCD may not solicit or negotiate an offer of employment from another team.
**Timeline**
On Sunday January 24th, Wildcard Gaming jungler William “Trixter” Benoit solicited ANEW Blaze mid laner Isaac “DarkWings” Chou to reach out to ANEW Esports management in hopes of acquiring him. Trixter was registered on the GCD with Wildcard Gaming before, during, and after this conversation. DarkWings corresponded with former ANEW Esports coach Akash “ArgentumSky” Gupta and ANEW Esports owner Edward “Eddy Lee” Lee regarding the possibility of acquiring Trixter either through a trade or a release and subsequent signing. Uncertain of Trixter’s contractual status, DarkWings initially asked ArgentumSky if a new jungler could be signed for BIG League Season 4, without mentioning the specific player in question. In another conversation, Eddy Lee committed to DarkWings that he could bring Trixter onto his team.
Without involving Wildcard Gaming management and after direct correspondence with Trixter, ArgentumSky and then-ANEW Genesis Coach Abhishek “Sidestep” Samadder built out a trade involving a swap of at least five Wildcard Gaming and ANEW Genesis players. Trixter requested a release from Wildcard Gaming, stating that ANEW Esports had reached out to himself and BIG League Season 4 tournament officials and had cleared a trade. ANEW Esports presented the trade to Wildcard Gaming, who declined the offer. Trixter refused to play further for Wildcard Gaming. Sidestep also spoke separately to Wildcard Gaming support Sam “Daption” Zarriz regarding the attempted trade via voice call. Daption was listed with Wildcard Gaming on the GCD before, during, and after this call.
Wildcard Gaming brought the matter to LCS Officials. During the course of investigation, LCS Officials reviewed (i) recordings of conversations between persons of interest; (ii) extensive screenshots of correspondence between persons of interest; (iii) player contracts. Additionally, LCS Officials conducted interviews with twelve current and former team members of Wildcard Gaming and ANEW Blaze, ANEW management personnel, Wildcard Gaming personnel, and BIG League tournament officials, including each of the persons of interest aforementioned.
**Findings**
Trixter initiated conversation with DarkWings in order to solicit an offer of employment from ANEW Blaze while Trixter was currently listed under Wildcard Gaming on the GCD. This is a violation of rule 11.4.6 of the 2021 North America Amateur Rule Set and the corresponding rule 14.4.9 of the 2021 LCS Rule Set. Furthermore, Trixter misrepresented the nature of his conversation with DarkWings to LCS Officials. This is a violation of rule 11.5.6 of the 2021 North America Amateur Rule Set and the corresponding rule 14.5.6 of the 2021 LCS Rule Set.
ArgentumSky and Sidestep spoke directly to Trixter regarding his trade to ANEW Blaze and subsequent addition to the roster, without reaching out to Wildcard Gaming beforehand for approval. This is a violation of rule 11.4.6 of the 2021 North America Amateur Rule Set and the corresponding rule 14.4.9 of the 2021 LCS Rule Set. Although ArgentumSky left ANEW Esports on January 20th, he did not make it clear to Trixter and Wildcard Gaming that he no longer represented ANEW Esports on January 24th.
Eddy Lee failed to monitor and prevent ANEW Esports representatives from tampering with and poaching Trixter. Eddy Lee was fully aware of Trixter’s contractual status and the poaching protections provided by being listed on the GCD. LCS Officials find him accountable for poaching by ANEW Esports representatives. This is a violation of rule 11.4.6 of the 2021 North America Amateur Rule Set and the corresponding rule 14.4.9 of the 2021 LCS Rule Set.
DarkWings engaged with Trixter upon Trixter’s solicitation, but did not actively offer Trixter an opportunity to join ANEW Blaze. DarkWings was cautious of the BIG League Season 4 roster lock and the existence of Trixter’s contract. In conversations with ArgentumSky and Eddy Lee, DarkWings deferred to what he perceived to be their superior expertise of contractual matters.
**Relevant Rules**
11.4.6 No Poaching or Tampering.
No Team Member or Affiliate of a Team may solicit, lure, or make an offer of employment to any Team Member, nor encourage any such LCS Coach, LACS Coach or Player to breach or otherwise terminate a contract with said Team. An LCS Coach, LACS Coach or Player may not solicit a Team to violate this rule.
...To inquire about the status of an LCS Coach, LACS Coach or Player from another Team, managers must contact the management of the Team that the Player and/or Coach is currently contracted with…
Contract information for Players and Coaches can be found on the Global Contract Database.
11.5.6 Player Behavior Investigation.
If a Tournament Official contacts a Team Member to discuss the investigation, the Team Member is obligated to tell the truth. If a Team Member withholds information or misleads a Tournament Official creating an obstruction of the investigation then the Team and/or Team Member is subject to punishment.
**Penalties**
- Trixter is banned from any association or affiliation with a team in
a Riot-sanctioned league for the duration of the 2021 NA Amateur
Competitive Season for solicitation of employment from ANEW Esports
while listed on the Global Contract Database with another team and
for being untruthful in his representations to LCS Officials about
the extent of his correspondence towards involved personnel.
- ArgentumSky is banned from any association or affiliation with a team
in a Riot-sanctioned league for the duration of the 2021 NA Amateur
Competitive Season for poaching a player on a league-recognized
contract.
- Sidestep is banned from any association or affiliation with a team in
a Riot-sanctioned league for the duration of the 2021 NA Amateur
Competitive Season for poaching two players on league-recognized
contracts.
- Eddy Lee is banned from any association or affiliation with a team in
a Riot-sanctioned league for the duration of the 2021 NA Amateur
Competitive Season for poaching a player on a league-recognized
contract.
- DarkWings is being placed on probation for the duration of the 2021
NA Amateur Competitive Season for engaging with a player on a
league-recognized contract and facilitating poaching by the ANEW
Esports organization. Any violation of NA Amateur rules during the
probation period will draw an enhanced punishment as a second
offense, which will include an automatic ban from competitive play
for a period to be determined at that time.
- Players currently on ANEW Esports and its corresponding sister teams
are permitted to play in Tier 2 competitions, Tier 1 competitions,
and LCS Proving Grounds, qualification permitting. They may not play
under the ANEW Esports organization while Eddy Lee is affiliated with
ANEW Esports but will retain any Circuit Points earned while under
the ANEW Esports organization, provided that the team retains three
of the five players on the team roster for the last Tier 2
tournament, subject to rule 4.2 of the NA Amateur Rule Set. Amateur
players competing in Tier 2 competitions, Tier 1 competitions, and
LCS Proving Grounds are not required to play under an organizational
affiliation. In such case Circuit Points and Qualification Slots will
be granted to the players themselves. If Eddy Lee is no longer
affiliated with ANEW Esports, the organization may continue
participating in Riot-sanctioned leagues.
