Cloud9’s Counter-Strike team have been in a great spell of form lately, reaching the finals of three major tournaments in as many weeks. Yet they have done so under a cloud of speculation about their use of performance-enhancing substance Adderall. Now the team has finally issued a statement on the controversy.
The scrutiny began during the recent ESWC, when former Cloud9 player Kory “semphis” Friesen was interviewed by Counter-Strike content creator Mohan “Launders” Govindasamy. In the interview, Friesen flippantly stated he and his teammates used Adderall during the team’s matches at ESL One Katowice in March. After the interview went viral, the community and the media began to discuss whether esports had a doping problem.
In the aftermath, tournament organizers have declared their intention to combat the use of PEDs in esports. And ESL, for its part, has gone so far as to announce it would partner with the National Anti Doping Association. This means that random drugs tests could take place at ESL events with players required to adhere to the NADA list of banned substances before and during tournaments. The news was covered by everyone from ESPN to the New York Times.
While the controversy raged, Cloud9 stayed quiet. Now the organization has contacted the Daily Dot to with a short statement saying it welcomes the changes and will never support any player caught using PEDs.
“Cloud9 does not condone any of its players using illegal performance enhancing drugs,” Cloud9 owner Jack Etienne wrote. “Cloud9 players support efforts by ESL and other tournament operators and are willing to submit to drug tests to ensure competitive integrity of events.”
So far none of the players have spoken out individually about the allegations. On a recent edition of Vulcun’s Counter-Strike podcast “Half Time,” however, Friesen said that Cloud9 only used Adderall for that event.
“How shall I say this” he pondered before adding “if anyone was to do Adderall it was only once, you know? It wasn’t like we were popping ‘Addies’ fucking everywhere, going around downing bottles, like… I don’t even like it.”
Image via Cloud9
