T1 speaks out on Gumayusi’s situation but only makes fans more upset
Recently, T1’s General Manager Becker officially addressed the situation regarding Gumayusi – Smash, which has been causing a stir throughout the early days of 2025. His statements can be summarized in the following points: T1 replacing Smash was due to the coaching staff’s request and had nothing to do with Gumayusi’s performance; Gumayusi can choose to watch his teammates scrim or solo queue; Smash will enjoy privileges like first team members; T1 has not announced the lineup for the LCK Regular Seasons.
However, this only made T1 fans “explode” with anger. No one could understand why T1 would let Gumayusi choose to “watch scrims” as a privilege. Meanwhile, Becker had asserted that the change with Smash was not due to Gumayusi’s performance. This implies that the current champion ADC must sit and watch his junior compete, not because of poor play on his part, but because the coaching staff wanted it that way.
Across many forums, the outrage grew to the point that T1 had to delete the clip, but fans quickly captured it in full. One comment on X expressed frustration: “T1 should remember, Gumayusi signed with you because he wanted to show loyalty, not to solo queue in the streaming room all day.”
T1 is increasingly becoming a controversial name
Clearly, Becker’s remarks only highlight how T1 has made a significant error in how they have treated Gumayusi. Even fans who initially supported T1’s decision to replace players might now have a different perspective. If the usual arguments from these fans revolve around performance issues, Becker’s revelation is like a slap in the face to those claims.
Furthermore, constantly ranking up might keep hands warm, but it certainly can’t compare to actual combat. And when Gumayusi returns after not performing well, no one can assure that T1 will protect this player. Especially since fans have discovered that T1 has not addressed any critical messages about him in the Membership.
The season has just begun, but at this point, even anti-fans, not to mention T1 fans, are very upset with the way this team operates.