**TL;DR:** SolaFide Esports ownership has been unable to pay the negotiated salaries of their League of Legends players, coaches, and management staff dating from January 1st. Colin “Oddity” Slager is banned from any association or affiliation with a team in a Riot-sanctioned league indefinitely, with the first opportunity to apply for reinstatement for a league position on January 1, 2024. Due to Oddity’s ban, SolaFide may only participate in Riot-sanctioned leagues after a confirmed change in ownership.
Context
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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 December 2020, Amateur organization SolaFide Esports signed five players, coaches, and management staff (“**Team Members**”) to contracts beginning on January 1, 2021 and ending in November 2021. SolaFide registered four out of five players onto the GCD. Contracts of Team Members listed on the GCD are league-recognized and are subject to LCS oversight.
Timeline
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Under their employment contract, all Team Members were required to submit invoices to SolaFide at the end of each month for their monthly wages, with payment due on the 1st of the following month. Despite submitting invoices, SolaFide Team Members did not receive payment on February 1st for their work in January. Though initially accepting of a potential delay in payment, by mid-February Team Members gradually became more concerned about the lack of communication and information regarding their missed direct deposits. On February 24th, SolaFide owner Colin “Oddity” Slager spoke to Team Members on a Discord call, in which he attributed the delay in payment to a banking issue.
Direct deposits for February were due on March 1st, but Team Members again did not receive payment. Instead, Oddity sent Team Members a message reassuring them that he had spoken with his investment firm and that all Team Members would be paid within 72 hours. This window passed without payment. On March 5th, Team Members requested that Oddity make a good faith payment to two specific Team Members who had a great need for the money. Oddity was not able to make a good faith payment to any Team Members. In addition to their missed wages, Team Members also did not receive their prize winnings from the Risen Champions League Tournament played under the SolaFide Esports brand, even though the prize winnings had been sent directly to SolaFide by Tournament Organizers.
SolaFide Team Members brought the matter to LCS Officials. During the course of investigation, LCS Officials reviewed (i) extensive screenshots of correspondence between persons of interest and (ii) evidence of SolaFide’s incoming and outgoing transactions. Additionally, LCS Officials conducted interviews with the five SolaFide players, their coaches and team managers, SolaFide management personnel, and the SolaFide owner Oddity.
Findings
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SolaFide Esports had not paid the agreed upon wages of its players, coaches, and management staff. Furthermore, Oddity did not fulfill his obligations and commitments to Team Members regarding payment and withheld prize money from SolaFide players and coaches. The LCS views this as conduct beyond the confines of the best interests of Proving Grounds and other Riot-sanctioned leagues. This is a violation of rule 12.3 of the 2021 North America Amateur Rule Set and the corresponding rule 15.3 of the 2021 LCS Rule Set.
Relevant Rules
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12.3 Best Interests of the Tournament
Tournament Officials and Riot Games at all times may act with the necessary authority to preserve the best interests of the Tournament. This power is not constrained by the lack of any specific language in this document. Tournament Officials may use any form of punitive actions at their disposal against any entity whose conduct is not within the confines of the best interests of the Tournament, subject to consultation with and review by Riot Games.
Penalties
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Oddity is banned from any association or affiliation with a team in a Riot-sanctioned league indefinitely, with the first opportunity to apply for reinstatement for a league position on January 1, 2024.
SolaFide Esports may only participate in Riot-sanctioned leagues after providing LCS Officials with proof of sale and change in ownership.
