Last night, the League of Legends community was buzzing after TSM president Leena Xu accidentally leaked that “no one wants to pick up Dardoch” in the background of Doublelift’s livestream.
In response, TSM founder and CEO Andy “Reginald” Dinh released a statement acknowledging the team’s faults but also explaining certain aspects of the situations for fans and critics of the organization.
Reginald apologized for the way TSM managed communication around Dardoch’s transfer. The leak was careless and the longtime owner said the team didn’t live up to his standards for treating players. He also confirmed that he and Dardoch have already spoken “to make sure he feels good about this situation and lands on his feet” after the offseason.
“My goal has always been about setting a good example for other esports organizations on how to treat players where we balance business interests while at the same time being fair to players,” Reginald said. “We will reflect on our mistakes and make the necessary changes to prevent this from happening again.”
Related: TSM president admits to saying “no one wants to pick up Dardoch” on Doublelift’s stream
The 28-year-old also talked about the relationship between Doublelift and Xu and said he signed the superstar “knowing full well that he was in a relationship” with the team’s president. His reasoning was simple: Doublelift was the best candidate for the position.
“To be clear, most of Leena’s day-to-day responsibility is TSM’s expansion into various games titles,” Reginald said. “She has no decision-making power over our LCS roster, players, or salaries. She works on business operations and content with the League. All roster decisions and budgeting are made by our General Manager Parth Naidu and myself.”
Additionally, he confirmed that Dardoch’s position change wasn’t a secret among TSM players and staff. In fact, Parth, the coaching staff, and the players were the ones who helped make the decision in the first place.
But Reginald wasn’t only interested in explaining his side of the story. He said he was disappointed in the League community and how people have tried to “discredit [Xu’s] hard work as a female in esports” due to her recent mistake. He said that her recent mistakes were still disappointing, but it doesn’t take away from all the work she’s done for the team.
