Sentinels Sign TenZ, Sinatraa Suspended
Published: Mar 12, 2021 - Last Updated: Mar 15, 2021
North American Valorant team Sentinels found themselves in a world of trouble recently, after accusations of abusive misconduct were leveled against Jay “sinatraa” Won by his former girlfriend. The organisation was quick to react and suspended sinatraa, but then ran into an issue of having a vacant spot on their roster right before the start of Masters 1. Luckily, the team has managed to sign Tyson “TenZ” Ngo at the last minute and can continue the Valorant Champions Tour tournament uninterrupted.
What’s going to happen to sinatraa?
In today’s climate, getting accused online is usually a death sentence for one’s career. The age-old “innocent until proven guilty” does not hold water in this case, since the damage done is instantaneous and the stigma attached to the accusation is what remains long after the situation is resolved, even if the person in question is exonerated and proof of innocence is brought to light.
This is evident in a chain of reactions that occurred immediately after the news broke out. Riot quickly suspended the Sentinels pro from participating in Masters, and so did his team. Blizzard also announced the removal of the MVP sinatraa Zarya skin, offering refunds to all players who purchased the skin previously.
To be frank, things are not looking great for the Sentinels star. The investigation has been launched and it will take some time before we can see the full story. He’s going to miss the first round of Masters in Valorant Champions Tour, and potentially, even more, depending on if the allegations turn out to be true.
Sentinels move forward – TenZ fills the void
Sentinels are one of the strongest teams to finish the previous stage of Challengers, coming out on top and landing into the VCT Masters. The versatile team coordination they’ve developed over the past months was suddenly disrupted by sinatraa’s suspension, but TenZ was quickly signed to fill his spot.
TenZ is a Cloud9 streamer who stepped down from the active roster back in January to focus on creating content for the organisation. However, his skills are still as sharp as ever, and he’ll fit in nicely with the Sentinels crew. Sentinels are scheduled to play against Luminosity today, so the team will have to pick up the pace and practice as much as they can before the match. This is one of the few teams that Sentinels had troubles with, losing 2:0 back in Challengers 1 Upper Bracket and then barely squeezing through with a 2:1 win against them later on in the Lower Bracket Final. This match will be a test for the team, to see how quickly they’ll adapt to the new changes and whether this will impact their overall performance going forward.
The pending investigation
The investigation into sinatraa is underway, and it will take some time before we know all the details and the conclusion of it. One thing is certain, this has put a strain on everyone involved.
Sentinels are now faced with a situation where they might have to cut ties with sinatraa, but the player himself is in an even worse position. If things go south, he could be forced to say goodbye to competitive Valorant as a whole. TenZ is also in a position where he’s not sure how long his stay with Sentinels would be. Depending on how things play out, he could either have a short stay or a more permanent one. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
