After a few weeks of silence, Riot Games has finally revealed its findings from an investigation held behind the recent allegations of verbal abuse and bullying by TSM’s CEO Andy “Reginald” Dinh. A lot of famous personalities in the scene thought that TSM was going to be left unpunished, but Riot Games and the Players Association took action.
Riot officials believe that there was “a pattern and practice of disparaging and bullying behavior exhibited by Andy Dinh towards TSM players and staff members,” which has prompted the league to fine the former pro-turned-owner a total of $75,000 while having him complete mandatory sensitivity training and executive training.
The investigators conducted interviews of fourteen individuals, including Dinh. This included all of the complainants provided by the Players’ Association, as well as any other parties identified during the course of those interviews. In addition, the investigators contacted a number of former TSM players and employees who either did not respond or declined to cooperate with the investigation. The investigators also reviewed certain emails and other electronic communications as well as public statements and videos.
“Based upon the conclusions we drew from the reporting of our independent investigators, we believe that there was a pattern and practice of disparaging and bullying behavior exhibited by Dinh. This included verbally abusing pro players and TSM staff members and communicating in a demeaning and belittling manner” stated Chris Greeley, Head of Esports for NA and OCE at Riot Games.
Dinh is also being placed on probation for the next two years. TSM and Dinh have committed themselves to a culture shift within their organization and we want to provide space for that positive shift to occur. However, we also want to ensure that should that shift not occur, the consequences within the Riot ecosystem are clear. Any finding by the LCS, or any other Riot governing body, that Dinh has violated our rules during this probation period will bring severely enhanced penalties.
In order to ensure compliance with our rules, during Dinh’s probation, an independent monitor appointed by Riot will operate a “tip line” through which TSM employees can anonymously report instances of abusive conduct by Dinh. In addition, through the Players’ Association, the monitor will check in with current TSM League of Legends players and report any potential rule violations to the League for follow-up. TSM will be required to provide notice, in a form provided by the League, to all existing TSM players and staff, and any new hires during the probation period, explaining the existence and purpose of the tip line.
While the tip line and the constant check-ins from the monitors will provide some safety for the employees of TSM, a lot of people think that the punishment for Dinh wasn’t harsh enough. It’s important to remember that these allegations have been happening for many years and it’s only until now that Riot Games has decided to do something about it.
