Chinese League pro suspended after “inappropriate” behavior with stuffed bear on stream

Invictus Gaming League of Legends pro Lu ‘Leyan’ Jue has been fined over $6,000 and suspended for two LPL matches by Riot Games for “inappropriate” on-stream behavior.

Leyan made suggestive movements toward a large stuffed bear during the stream in question. The player also allegedly bet another streamer that he would vape on the LPL stage after their next loss, according to a fan translator. The specific actions that caused his suspension and fine were not cited in the Riot ruling.

The player was fined 50,000 yuan and his team was fined 20,000 yuan, or about $6,900 and $2,760 respectively. Leyan will not be able to play in the LPL team’s first two best-of-three matches of the Summer Split. The team and player were on a break from competition when the stream took place as they were eliminated from the LPL Spring Playoffs on April 1.

The Riot ruling was handed down on April 23 to the 21-year-old jungler and Invictus Gaming released a statement about the incident to the Chinese social media platform Weibo the same day.

“Recently, Leyan, a player of the League of Legends branch of the iG E-Sports Club, made inappropriate words and deeds many times during the live broadcast, which caused extensive discussions on the Internet and caused adverse effects. The club educated and criticized him, and made the decision to deduct two months of salary from player Lu Jue (ID: Leyan), and accept all penalties decided by the League of Legends Professional Events Disciplinary Management Team,” iG said.

Leyan has not commented on the ban, but he did address the stream in question on Wiebo on April 21.

“It’s not what everyone thinks. The bear was too big. The music in the headphones was rocking at that time. I just thought the bear was cute, so I hugged it and shook it,” he said via machine translation.

The LPL kicks back up for the Summer Split after the Mid-Season Invitational concludes in late May. Leyan has been competing since 2018 and is best known for his 2019 run with Invictus Gaming which saw him help the team to a top-four placement at the League of Legends World Championship.