On December 3, Cloud9 announced the end of the contract with 21-year-old player Rossy, which caused an uproar among parts of the community. According to the player himself, he found out about the contract termination just 2-3 hours before the official announcement, making the decision unexpected for everyone.

Cloud9 statement mentions that the reason for the termination was communication issues between the player and the coaching staff. After several months of training and bootcamps in Korea, the team’s management received feedback that Rossy role as IGL did not align with the playstyle the team was aiming for. You can read more about this in our article.

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The decision to terminate the contract has been criticized by professionals such as Wolves Esports head coach Fayde and CurryShot, who previously worked with Rossy in Turtle Troop. In their comments, they emphasized that firing a player mid-season, when most teams have already settled their rosters, is a very poor move.

Although the contract was signed until 2027, firing him at this time is terrible timing. In sports, just like in regular jobs, when someone is let go, the company usually has to guarantee several months of salary. Considering that in VALORANT, even with long-term contracts, players can easily lose their jobs, this should become the norm.

the coaches stated

Rossy, who previously played for teams like Immortals, TSM, FaZe, and Turtle Troop, joined T1 in November 2023 and participated in his first international tournament—VCT 2024 Masters Shanghai. After moving to Cloud9, he became a finalist at the Red Bull Home Ground 2024 tournament. However, despite successful results, his contract was terminated just two months later.