Buzz
Nongshim RedForce player Rich accuses his former team of failing to negotiate with him before contract termination.
On November 17th, Nongshim RedForce officially bid farewell to top laner Rich. Prior to this, they had also parted ways with Gori, deokdam, and Kellin. This means that for the team that reached 4th place in the LCK Summer 2021, NS now only retains former T1 star Peanut and has liquidated the entire remaining roster, including substitute players. This comes as quite a surprise considering the strong performance of NS players in the past Summer, even reaching a point where they were considered strong candidates for the 2021 Worlds. However, they suffered a 3-0 defeat against Hanwha Life Esports in the regional qualifiers and had to... stay at home.
However, the departure between NS and Rich was not smooth. Recently, on his stream channel, NS's former top laner affirmed that he was 'betrayed' by his old team (NS): 'Ask if I was betrayed? Of course, I was. Listen, I found out I would become a free agent yesterday, and it was also yesterday that I knew I would be fired. It means I only knew I would be fired when my contract expired. Before that, they gave me hope that my contract would be renewed. And now they bring that paper (termination decision) and I can't find a team right now.'
Rich shares about NS not negotiating the contract but unilaterally bringing the termination decision to him
NS's actions have sparked a wave of outrage in the League of Legends community, not only in the LCK. Many comments express sympathy for Rich. With the contract termination looming, Rich will face many difficulties in finding a new home. Especially since Rich is also in the 'veteran' category in the LCK, it will be difficult for any team to really want to recruit him when the majority of teams are focusing on younger players as long-term investments.
Following the exposé on certain 'night-time' behaviors and impersonations in the LCK transfer market, NS has been accused by a former deity of deceit in contract negotiations. NS has yet to respond to Rich's allegations, but if Rich's claims are true, NS will undoubtedly be held accountable if their actions impact Rich's career in the new season.
