Riot Games issued a statement concluding its investigation into alleged racist and threatening behavior by a major shareholder of LCS team Echo Fox. In the statement, LCS commissioner Chris Greeley said, “Hate speech, threats, and bigotry have no place in the LCS. We have directed Echo Fox to take appropriate corrective action within 60 days.”
The behavior, first revealed by team founder Rick Fox several weeks ago, appears to have been confirmed by Riot’s investigation. Riot called on the team to remove any individuals found to have violated LCS conduct rules within the 60-day time period. Failure to do so, Greeley said, could result in formal action that could “adversely affect the future of Echo Fox in the LCS.”
Related: Riot Games should make a stand in the Echo Fox controversy.
This is a strong stand by Riot to call for the removal of a shareholder in response to a series of heinous allegations. That shareholder, Amit Raizada, has been accused by multiple sources of using both racist and threatening language in correspondences with fellow owners.
While ownership issues between limited partners can be difficult to resolve, Riot’s statement puts tremendous pressure on Echo Fox to act quickly. The esports organization competes in several areas, but the LCS team is its primary asset. If that team were to be forced out of the league, the value of the company could plummet, which would affect all shareholders.
Dot Esports has reached out to Echo Fox for comment.
