Jay “Sinatraa” Won has been suspended from competing in professional Valorant matches for six months following Riot’s investigation of claims he sexually assaulted his girlfriend Cleo Hernandez. Announced today, the six month suspension will last until September 10 and require Won to participate in professional conduct training before he can resume competing.
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According to Riot, Won’s suspension stems from his violation of rule 8.1 in the Valorant Global Competition Policy for “failing to fully cooperate with the Tournament Operator’s investigation.”
On March 10th, Cleo Hernandez posted a statement online detailing the sexual assault she suffered while dating Won. Shortly after Hernandez released her statement, both Won’s team Sentinels and Valorant esports issued their own statements saying they were suspending Won pending a Riot investigation. Today, Riot issued its ruling stating that Won did not fully cooperate with its investigation.
“While the investigation did not come to a definitive conclusion on the underlying allegations, the Competitive Operations team had serious concerns with Sinatraa’s conduct during the course of the investigation,” Riot’s ruling stated. “It was determined that on at least two occasions Sinatraa misrepresented certain facts, made false statements, and did not cooperate with the investigation in a way expected of a professional Valorant esports player.”
Riot’s statement makes allusions to Won misrepresenting facts, including failing to turn over a key audio recording he had previously indicated he would supply as evidence. Regarding the sexual assault allegations against Won specifically, Riot could not make a determination but said “at this juncture we will defer to the authorities to make further investigation into and factual findings related to the allegations.”
Shortly after Riot’s announcement, Won himself made a statement, saying, “I’ve spent the last 2 months reflecting on how I can be better as a person. I’ve been a pro player for basically all of my adult life and still have a lot to improve on. I’ve been reflecting a ton during the downtime and know how much I hurt Cleo emotionally and I’m truly sorry about it. I will learn from my mistakes and keep on trying to improve myself as a person.”
Kotaku has reached out to Hernandez, Won, and Sentinels for comment.
