On Tuesday, suspended Valorant and former Overwatch professional player, Jay “Sinatraa” Won, tweeted that he would be returning to professional esports. In his tweet, Won stated, “It’s been year since I was forced to step back from competitive play. In that time, I have learned a lot about myself and grown as a person. I am now ready for a return to competitive play and will be starting tryouts this week.” Today, Won posted a twitlonger to “to clarify the facts” surrounding questions about his status as a player amidst the sexual assault allegations raised against him. Furthermore, Won also posted a screenshot of an email between him and Riot Games today, with the email stating Won is “fully eligible to sign up and play in [Valorant Champions Tour],” and to use the email as confirmation to esports teams and organizations if questions arise about his ability to compete.
In May of 2021, Won was suspended for six months for failing to comply with an investigation into allegations of sexual assault raised against him. A couple of months prior, Won’s ex-girlfriend, Cleo Hernandez, had tweeted, now deleted, Google Doc outlining their 9-month relationship and the alleged abuse she had suffered from him. Within the doc, there are several screenshots of messages and an audio file that Hernandez uses as evidence against Won. In the audio file, according to Hernandez, is a snippet of Won allegedly refusing to stop in the middle of intercourse between the two.
Following Hernandez’s tweet, Valorant developer, Riot Games, and Won’s esports team, Los Angeles Sentinels, both suspended Won while they investigated the accusations. Released in an announcement, Riot Games stated that while there was “no definitive conclusion” on whether Won was guilty or not; however, “on at least two occasions [Won] misrepresented certain facts, made false statements, and did not cooperate with the investigation in a way expected of a professional VALORANT esports player.” Due to failing to “fully cooperate” with the investigation, Riot Games suspended Won for six months and required him to “complete professional conduct training.”
During his suspension, Won continued to stream and create weekly content for YouTube, sometimes making content with former teammates. However, now that Won is unsuspended, Sentinels is allegedly considering adding Won back to the team’s Valorant roster. On the same day as Won’s initial tweet, April 12, Sentinels reportedly practiced without teammate Jared “zombs” Gitlin. Supposedly, Sentinels has been practicing with multiple players to replace Gitlin before a Valorant tournament in May, EMEA Stage 2 Challengers, citing Won as a potential replacement.