The [Korean] esports fair commission decided through a meeting that there will be a 5-month qualification suspension for DRX (former Griffin) head coach Kim “cvMax” Dae-ho. Last October, the esports fair commission responded to Riot Korea’s request to review the measures of punishment on cvMax’s actions while he was the head coach of Griffin. There was an investigation on whether or not there was assault or violent language toward some of the players during the feedback.

The nonpartisan commission perceived that there was a need to investigate the incident independently from the official trial, although it is still in progress. They investigated the recordings, videos, etc. that were submitted to the commission.

After going through the submitted materials and testimonies of the accused and the victim, the nonpartisan commission decided that there were assault and violent language towards Choi “Sword” Sung-won, of striking the chair that Sword was sitting in and shaking the player by the shoulder.

The commission said, “The head coach of a pro esports team has to direct and manage a team. He has the responsibility to lead and respect the players, who are mostly minors, so that they can cultivate their personalities in a positive direction,” and added, “cvMax not only violated the human rights of a player by assaulting and using violent language, but he damaged the image of integrity and fair play that esports should have as well as violating the responsibilities as a leader. The commission decided that the incident had negative effects on the trust the public has on esports.”

Also, the nonpartisan commission asserted that neither assault nor violent language can be justified by saying that it was for the team’s results or that it was to help the players develop, and that any violent actions shouldn’t be determined by the subjective standard of the perpetrator. They also emphasized that the victims shouldn’t suffer any additional damage by disclosing.

Through the investigations, the nonpartisan commission decided that the actions are considered for heavy sanction, and in accordance with Article 35 [Type of penalty] and Article 39 [Measure of penalty], they concluded that cvMax will be suspended, and that the suspension will last five months.

As of the decision by the commission, cvMax will be suspended from Dec. 15, 2020, to May 14, 2021. The suspension will mean that cvMax’s qualification as a member of the Korean e-Sports Association (KeSPA) will be suspended, his requests to register as a member will be denied, will not be able to register in any competition rosters, and will not be able to perform any duties as the head coach.

[UPDATED 12/14 19:00 KST] 

The esports fair commission cleared through Inven about two issues brought up by the suspension of cvMax. The first issue was that the director of Loud Communication, Park Chang-hyeon, was included in the commission. Loud Communications had merged with Griffin's mother company, Still8. Therefore, Park Chang-hyeon should be seen as a person that's involved in the incident. According to article 15 of the esports fair commission regulations, if the incident is related with a member of the commission, that member cannot participate in discussion nor decision making.

About this, the commission said, "The current discussion was about cvMax's assault and violent language. Loud Communications is not an involved party and cvMax is no longer affiliated to Loud Communications -- it cannot be said that they have direct connections with the incident."

The second issue was that would the suspension be reduced if the court pleads cvMax not guilty.; On this issue, the commission responded, "The penalty was given through an individual investigation, regardless of the trial. The outcome of the trial will not change the penalty."