For failing to conclude an illegal deal with the former Griffin Jungler Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok, the LPL administration has fined JD Gaming 350,000 RMB (approximately $50,200). While Kanavi has never signed that contract and has now been purchased by a legally accepted club, JDG will still have to pay for a 5-year lease, when the maximum allowable period is three years under the Riot Games Regulation.
Griffin’s former coach Kim “cvMax” Dae-ho first made Kanavi’s condition public, and he shared information about a contract that was still being discussed. According to cvMax, former Griffin director Cho Gyu-nam has amended Kanavi’s five-year loan contract to allow Kanavi’s legal guardians— his parents — to be bypassed.
The accusations led to a joint investigation by the LCK and LPL branches, which eventually reported the misconduct of Director Cho. Manager Cho withdrew from his investigation and was then banned from participating in LoL’s sports by Riot Games. Riot has instructed Griffin’s parent company Still8 to leave the administration of a new party’s staff, divesting and forfeit activities, and, concurrently, to amend any other illegal provisions for all LCK contracts.
At the end of the day, Kanavi moved to JD Gaming by signing a contract that was accepted, but the talk of the five-year extension was enough to threaten the LPL management.
“We expect that professional and semi-professional players will be able to comply with the League regulations. The League management will also focus on strict and consistent handling of several breaches to ensure healthy growth of the environment of the League of Legends, “the LPL said in its official announcement.
