ShahZaM claims Sentinels broke VCT roster promise after shroud stint
Colin Young-Wolff for Riot GamesFormer Sentinels Valorant star Shahzeb ‘ShahZaM’ Khan claimed his old organization broke promises made during Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek’s stint with the team. Khan stated he was “personally guaranteed” a spot in VCT franchising, but was let go ahead of 2023. Sentinels CEO Rob Moore denied the claims.
Shroud’s signing for the final stretch of VCT 2022, as Sentinels pushed to qualify for Valorant Champions, was a shock move that divided the community.
While the team managed to string together some wins, they were ultimately unable to reach the grandest of stages and relive their highs early on in Valorant’s lifespan.
However, according to ShahZaM, this was all done under the pretense of a promise to get a spot for VCT 2023. Stick it out with shroud for “hype”, and you’ll get to play in the franchised league. This never eventuated for the former Sentinels captain, who was let go.
The star spoke out about his final days at the organization on Twitter, lambasting his treatment.
In reply to a Sentinels tweet featuring coach Don ‘Sykko’ Muir and star Tyson ‘TenZ’ Ngo “spinning the wheel” for strategies, ShahZaM said: “Oh yeah, one time I spun the wheel and it landed on ‘please play with shroud, we don’t care if you win just make it hype. We’ll personally guarantee you a spot in franchising if you do.”
The claims were denied by Sentinels CEO Rob Moore, criticizing ShahZaM’s attitude during 2022.
“It’s weird that since you left all you talk about is how you want to be with the organization when for all of 2022 you behaved like you didn’t want to be here,” Moore said. “ It seems you have returned to the focus you had in 2021. If so, [G2 Esports] will be in great hands.”
The back and forth continued as ShahZaM continued to push the narrative of Sentinels denying him a spot for 2023 after promises were made.
“Are you actually going to deny promising me a spot if I did you this ‘huge favor’? You can own up to it and do better. Don’t lie to your players. Best of luck to you and your new team.”
This claim was, again, rejected by Moore.
So where does shroud lay in all this drama? Well the Twitch star did allude to it with a simple Tweet: “I…”
He filled in the blanks in the replies, hinting at the fact he didn’t know about any promises made to the Sentinels team he filled in for.
The situation has enamored the North American Valorant community with memes abound. With the deals done and ShahZaM out of a spot in 2023 after joining G2 Esports — who were reportedly pulled from consideration following comments from ex-CEO Carlos ‘Ocelote’ Rodriguez — it remains to be seen whether he can cement his spot in franchising in the future.
Related article: ShahZaM explains why he took shots at Sentinels over skit video