Jay "Sinatraa" Won, former professional Valorant player and Overwatch League MVP, has announced that he is returning to competitive play following a sexual abuse investigation against him in 2021.
On March 9, 2021, the North American Valorant Champions Tour released a statement that he was suspended from their events. Shortly after, it was confirmed that he was under a six month long suspension.
His former girlfriend, Cleo "cle0h" Hernandez, pressed charges against Won. In a publicly released nine-page report, she described alleged details with screenshots of text messages and voice recordings for evidence.
Following the investigation and suspension, Won released a statement on Twitter that he is returning to "competitive play" after being "forced to step back." Won claims that he will begin tryouts during the week of April 12.
After Hernandez spoke about her experiences with Won, he responded with a statement on Twitter. He wrote, "I hurt Cleo emotionally and Iâm truly sorry about it. I will learn from my mistakes and keep on trying to improve myself as a person."
In the statement released by Hernandez, she expressed, "I'm begging you to... believe me and hear me. This is the scariest thing I've ever done and I wouldn't risk having thousands of people hounding me just to be lying." Hernandez continued, "please don't try and tell me I'm ruining his reputation. I'm making it more accurate."
The future of Won's career was uncertain in light of the investigation. Depending on how the teams react to his return, it could still be similar. Despite the situation, Won has decided that it is the right time for him to return to professional Valorant competitions.
Reach out to National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) or the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) for resources if you or someone you know is struggling with or experiencing sexual assault.
