Stephen “Triple” Li was set to compete for the junior squad of legendary Team SoloMid in League of Legends. Now the contract was canceled on the last day of 2022. The termination follows a rather wild story about drugs and missteps, which the pro regrets.
Who is the pro?
The most powerful man in US LoL is said to be quite the bastard who kills players
Ex-girlfriend talks about drugs, party crashes and threats
This is the story: In a post on Twitter, Triple’s ex-girlfriend Long spoke about her experience with the pro. Among other things, it was about relationship problems, but also about Triple’s behavior in general.
Long accused Triple of using drugs, alcohol and nicotine “almost every day”. She also posted some screenshots of conversations in which Triple appears to be reporting that he is currently on “Molly” – another word for MDMA or Ecstasy.
In another passage, Long recounts a party she threw where Triple got too drunk:
I threw a party at my apartment where [Triple] drank so much he passed out on my bed and threw up all over the place. I ended up throwing the sheets away and having a panic attack because I just couldn’t wake him up. I had to call a friend who came to help me [Triple] to a safe place so he doesn’t choke on his own vomit.
In addition, in a fit of frustration, Triple threatened to “drive 200 kph through an intersection and kill 6 people” or buy a gun because he “wanted to kill someone”. According to screenshots, he sent a picture in which he apparently held a pistol in his hands.
A Twitch streamer who threatened a critic live with his gun behaved similarly. However, Twitch only reacted to this a month later – unlike with more prominent bans:
The 5 biggest Twitch bans that caused quite a stir
“I am solely responsible for this and I apologize”
This is what Triple says about it: In a separate post on Twitter, the professional comments on the allegations. Among other things, he admits that he had problems with drugs. These were his way out to withstand the pressure in e-sports.
He tried training and therapy, but only certain substances were suitable for him to quickly get into a better “condition”. Specifically, he only mentions Adderall, a drug for the treatment of ADHD, with which even the twitch streamer Sodapoppin has had contact and which is often abused in e-sports:
Pro Says: Many in the Overwatch League are on Adderall
He also admits to the scene at the party, with Triple explaining that he had a drink at beer pong that was much stronger than he thought. That pulled the plug on him shortly thereafter.
The threat of crossing was a tasteless and rather stupid hoax, referring to a tragedy in August in Los Angeles (via DailyNews.com). He regrets that choice of words, but never really intended to do something like that. Even the picture with the gun wasn’t him, but a picture that he just used.
However, Triple also explains that “doing the dirty laundry” on social media is not a good decision. He describes misconduct in the relationship from a completely different perspective, but stands by his missteps:
“I firmly believe […] that all progress should be celebrated, not avoided, and I’m willing to piss in cups to prove I’m going in the right direction. While I wish the general public hadn’t found out, I hold no grudge against anyone involved and sincerely apologize to everyone involved.”
Slowly moving in the right direction, the pro sees TSM’s offer as a chance to “make things right” in 2023 as his “redemption arc.”
The announcement that TSM is terminating the contract with Triple only came after the professional’s explanations. Since then, both parties have been silent on Twitter. Whether and where Triple will continue with e-sports in LoL is still open.
The SoloMid team meanwhile has completely different problems:
LoL: Team Happily Closed $210M 10-Year Deal With Crypto Exchange – After 1 Year, It’s Up in Smoke