Jay “Sinatraa” Won, one of the biggest names in competitive Valorant, has been suspended from the game and by his team following accusations of sexual assault. In a statement posted on Tuesday, Cleo Hernandez posted a lengthy account of her nine-month-long relationship with Won, detailing a disturbing history of physical and emotional abuse, supported by audio recordings and screenshots of messages.
“I have avoided talking about any aspects of me and Jay’s relationship for over a year,” Hernandez wrote. “I never spoke about it mostly because this is horrifying, and also because I’ve seen the way women in our community are treated when they try to talk about being hurt by prominent figures.”
Won is a former Overwatch League MVP who made the switch to Valorant last year. Since Hernandez’s accusations, developer Riot has suspended Won from the game, stating that he won’t be participating in the Valorant Champions Tour competition that’s slated to take place this weekend. “We are aware of the current situation regarding Jay Won and have launched an investigation,” Alex Francois, Riot’s global head of competitive operations, said in a statement.
Simiarly, Won’s team, Sentinels, has launched its own investigation and suspended the player. “While the investigation is pending, he is suspended from the team,” Sentinels said in a statement. “We will provide a further update once the investigation has concluded.” Won’s former Overwatch League team, the San Francisco Shock, similarly issued a statement saying that “While Jay is no longer a member of the San Francisco Shock, we think it is important to re-emphasize our position of zero tolerance in situations like these.”
In response, Won posted a statement on Twitter, saying: “It is clear from Cleo’s recent post that she recalls our relationship differently than I do. What we do agree on is that it was unhealthy for the both of us. I apologize to Cleo and regret how things ended, but I never assaulted her in any way. I am fully cooperating with the investigations and providing the full audio and video clips Cleo referenced in her post.”
Update March 10th, 4:30PM ET: Added statement from the San Francisco Shock.
Update March 11th, 4:15AM ET: Added statement from Won.