T1 CEO responds to “violent threats” from LoL fans after Faker benching

T1 CEO Joe Marsh has responded to fans of the iconic League of Legends organization after “violent threats” were directed at the team following the benching of Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok.

T1 Esports, formerly known as SKT T1, has a rich history as the top organization in League of Legends after winning multiple LCK titles and the World Championship on three separate occasions.

Since its inception, the iconic team has been captained by Faker, for the most part, however, following a recent slump, Sang-hyeok was benched from the line-up with rising star Lee ‘Clozer’ Ju-hyeon taking his spot in the mid lane.

Despite not reaching claiming a Worlds victory since 2016, Faker is still regarded as the best player of all time, and many fans were upset with the decision to bench him.

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However, it seems that some League of Legends fans have taken their support for the Demon King too far, as T1 CEO Joe Marsh released a statement on August 9 addressing some unruly followers.

Marsh revealed that he could “no longer remain silent” following the rise in “online harassment and violent threats” that were directed at members of his team in recent weeks.

The T1 CEO explained that, while criticizing the choices of a professional gaming team was expected, some fans had ‘overstepped the line’ and he called for the violent threats to stop.

“If the onslaught of violent virtual attacks continues, we will explore legal action to put an end to it,” he added, even threatening legal action in extreme cases.

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However, despite the controversy surrounding the roster changes, T1 LoL has performed quite well since Clozer’s arrival and is now locked in for the LCK Summer Playoffs.

T1’s head coach Kim Jeong-soo previously revealed, in an interview with InvenGlobal, that Faker has “found new motivations” and is planning on earning back his place in the starting roster.

While he is open to bringing Faker back, it is unclear whether or not we will see the three-time World Champion compete in the playoffs, which are expected to start on August 26.