Former World Champion Faces Lawsuit
As we know, with the 2024 Worlds just around the corner, alongside the final slot of LCK being a competition between T1 and KT Rolster, the League of Legends community is also focused on a pressing issue: the drama surrounding the former World Champion of 2021, Scout. The mid-laner from Korea, currently playing in the LPL, is facing a lawsuit from Edward Gaming related to contract disputes stemming from his departure from the prestigious LPL team until now. Furthermore, according to some information from LPL, Scout may even face a lawsuit from LNG Esports (Scout’s current team) due to the fallout from the drama with EDG mentioned above.
Specifically, according to information from LPL, Riot has intervened in Scout’s case, stating that EDG issued a travel ban request against Scout from leaving China to LNG about two days ago. If Scout is unable to attend the 2024 Worlds, he could be sued by LNG for not fulfilling his contract.
However, there is another equally important piece of information: Scout’s representatives allegedly pressured LNG last year to force the team to increase Scout’s salary and inflate his transfer value when it was rumored that a major organization wanted to contact Scout. According to the LPL community, it was ultimately LNG that exposed this “conspiracy.”
Former World Champion at Risk of “Losing Everything”
Scout’s situation is not unprecedented, especially as it often occurs in mainstream sports like football. However, a reality remains that most of these cases lead players into difficult positions due to their representatives, as the players cannot control their own circumstances, while the representing companies only seek profit regardless of the consequences.
For Scout, if he faces lawsuits from all sides like this, the chance of attending the 2024 Worlds is diminishing to a near-zero level. Furthermore, Scout will likely find it difficult to stay in the LPL after the season ends, as the two teams involved in the drama are one extremely wealthy team and the other a traditional powerhouse in China.
However, if he returns to the LCK in the 2025 season, at Scout’s age (born in 1998), the chances of him joining top teams are very low as Chovy, Faker, ShowMaker, and Bdd are still around. If he joins mid-tier or smaller teams, Scout would almost have to say goodbye to international tournaments. As of now, there is no light at the end of the tunnel in Scout’s case, and perhaps, his representatives are “overthinking” due to their lack of professionalism.