As you can see, I have put Fallen’s name in quotes in the title. This is due to the obvious fact that portions of this statement are 100% coached responses from LG and Steve Buyaka (Owner of team LG). I will go through the statement below and point out the glaring mistakes and obvious flubs on the part of LG and the players. Please keep in mind, the statement being one sided naturally requires this reponse to also feel one sided. I personally have no biased for either LG or SK, I simply hate when people choose to go the deceptive route, especially in such an obvious and failed attempt at doing so.
For those who haven’t read FalleN’s response on the story. Please go through it before proceeding.
The letters of intent
LG has contended the entire time that the Letters of intent are binding. Fine, lets assume that they were/are. The issue here, as admitted in the article and statement by Fallen, is that LG broke the terms of the LOI the very second they failed to provide the new contracts to the players in the agreed upon timeframe. While Fallen mentions that LG began paying the new salaries right away, that in itself do NOT bind the LOI into a contract. Rather, its simply a show of good faith on the part of LG, something they should have expressed to the players in the way of new contracts provided to them in the timeline required. By not doing so, under general law in the US/Canada and the EU, the LOI’s or any other forms of contract are invalid. The 4 players were correct in assuming they could seek a new home for after the current deals expired. Commitments is a plural word, and fulfilling one while ignoring others, specifically the most important ones, makes those that were extended, irrelevant.
Its important to note that although the statement makes mention to the players having no legal representation during the dealings with SK, it also never mentions the players having legal representation when they signed the LOI’s either. As you’ll come to read in the statement, the players act under the notion that the LOI is void, something they themselves chose to do unrepresented, as they seem to with all aspects of the statement, making the claims of misdirection due to a lack of erroneous representation.
Handling of Contact with SK and the Secret Society!
The statement continues on explaining how they first came into contact with SK. From the statement, Fallen mentions that Alex Muller (Team owner SK) from SK emailed him about the prospect of signing the team away from LG. It should be noted that there is no mention to the word “poach”, but rather, this was simply SK looking to see if their was an appetite on the players end to even entertain the idea. At this point Fallen makes 2 things very clear. 1. That he directed Alex to Steve, and 2. That although he had done so, the rest of the roster showed great interest in the idea, and began emailing back and forth with Alex Muller.
Note – Doing so, which is vaguely mentioned in the statement, gives the strong impression that the players were not happy with LG, even after being paid new/higher salaries they demanded two months earlier. There was a serious appetite for change, something we need to keep in mind when reading prepared, coached and directed statements like the one “Fallen” released tonight. Obviously I am of the opinion that some of the statement is not the players words or work itself, that some of it is purposefully placed into the article by those in a position above the players either by demand or requirement.
i find it funny that in most of the statement “Fallen” struggles with proper sentences and grammar, yet was able to write sentences like this perfectly “We signed a Binding Letter of Intention that had all the changes we would have adapted to our old contract” Maybe its simply ironic? Maybe. But maybe its exactly what it looks like!
“Fallen” places most of the blame game on his 4 Teammates, over and over
As the statement drags on, “Fallen” mentions multiple times how he personally had no interest in leaving LG, and that he ultimately chose to do so because the rest of them were “super greedy, uneducated in law, and wanted to sign with SK superduper bad!”( Im paraphrasing of course) I find this to be lowbrow at best. If this is truly Fallen and the rest of the team writing this, the wording would be much different. To me, and likely most of you, this looks like a way of punishing the rest of the team, making them bare the load of the backlash publicly for being shady and simply wanting to explore new and better options than the mediocre LG. I tweeted Fallen earlier in the day about him needing to write the statement he promised without obvious coaching and lies. Sadly, he chose to only add fuel the fire by continuing to peddle the hurt feelings report Steve Buyaka and LG has been hammering into their guilt filled minds for the last 3 months.
FINALLLLYYYYYY. Admission. sort of..
Through the middle portions of the statement, “Fallen” continues to make every attempt at painting SK as the Devil reincarnated. In doing so, he also makes it very obvious just how invested into the move SK was, Contradicting the sentiments they try to express on Buyakas behalf.. I mean, On the teams behalf ๐ upwards of a dozen times. Anyone else find it Ironic that you would argue the lack of legal representation, only to release something of this importance without again choosing to be represented in anyway by professionals paid to do so? Hmm..
Word of advice in the Future Fallen, Try not to mention how nice the guy who assaulted you was when giving your statement to the police. Telling them all the nice things they did for you, and bought you, greatly muddies the evil villainous image you’re trying to paint.
That said, we finally get admission from Fallen, that despite LG’s best efforts to say otherwise, the players had NEVER signed contracts with LG. Let me say that again, the players had NEVER signed new contracts with LG. In fact, they purposely avoided signing them a few times, being that they were months late, because they simply had no real interest in staying with LG. NO CONTRACTS + INVALID LETTERS OF INTENT = WHY ARE WE EVEN DISCUSSING THIS BOYS?
Fallen piles every last piece of blame on the rest of the team Continued
March 26th 2016, After allegedly taking some time to consider leaving the roster all together, Fallen agrees to sign the SK contracts that the rest of his team are more or less forcing him to. Please note, We are led to believe that the team leader and one of the best players in the entire world is forced by the rest of the roster he created and mentored, to sign with SK.. . Not only that, But we’re also made to believe that they very experienced adults, some of whom have a decade of experience in the scene, were bullied and pressured VIA EMAIL, to sign contracts with SK.
What we need to take away from this all though, is very simple. They. Signed. Binding. Contracts. With. SK Gaming! Nothing that came after that fact matters. It just doesn’t. Actions always speak louder than words, and no amount of victim statements should blind us from allowing the signed contract the respect it deserves.
The statement meanders on about how less than a week after signing the contracts, the “team” decides to change their minds, and that 22 days later they ask SK to essentially forgive the mistake and let them stay with LG. Are you bleeping kidding me? Who the hell pulls this crap? What types of twisted spoiled people firstly conduct secretive and “Scummy” negotiations behind a “friends” back, then back-stab said friend by signing the lucrative contracts, only to MAGICALLY change their minds, and in doing so, assume that asking to back out of them is okay ?!?! We need to know nothing more about these 6 guys as people, than those 40 or so words right there. Im sorry, but having integrity is clearly so far down the list of things important to these players at this point, you really have to question what kinds of things Byuaka is holding over their heads. A couple hundred thousand dollars perhaps?
The statement explains how the players were in fact made to feel guilty by Steve Buyaka (owner of LG) on multiple occasions in the days that followed MLG. It explains that Steve expressed immense disappointment and even heart break when the players finally broke the news to him about signing with SK. Steve’s mind didn’t wonder to the spot most business owners minds would, that being wtf<—– (expletives??)are you talking about, I own your contracts… No, it instead wandered into the ” lets makes these guys feel like complete douche bags and hopefully they forget the fact that I broke the terms on the LOI (Letter of Intent) and that I plan to use it as proof I still own their interests”. Now, I likely would have been hurt severely to have been blind sided like this. Where I, and hopefully many of you differ from Steve Buyaka, is in the fact that I would have handled it as a business, and not a family. Business is business, and being able to acknowledge that a good percentage of the reason you are where you are is directly your doing, is a trait some of us ( Steven ) seemingly do not possess.
Let me be clear. Jokes aside, The players are human and react to the pressure and stress imposed on them by LG, the organization who still controlled their “life changing” winnings, the organization that still had to pay their lease on the house. We’re made very aware of the fear the players began to feel as it pertains to their livelihoods, at least in the immediate future. While its not meant to, this again illustrates just how deeply Steve and LG played the fear mongering and Guilt trip games on these guys. How they expected to release a statement and hide those facts is truly beyond me. If Buyaka was such a nice and fair guy, someone who had never before withheld your winnings, why were the players all of a sudden so worried about him doing exactly that? So much so, that they went directly to MLG and requested their percentages of the winnings go directly to them, and not to the org first.
All the other BS that I wasted time reading!
The statement spends the next 4-5 Minutes of our lives doing all it can to again paint roses all over LG, while making us, the impressionable reader, hate those Evildoers at SK gaming. Truthfully, its borderline pathetic how obvious it is that portions of this were literally dictated by Steve, or written into the statement by him directly. He literally couldn’t have said some of it better himself lol..
One part I chuckled at was where he mentioned again just how young, inexperienced, and uneducated about law the players theoretically are(as mentioned before), and how it played a huge part in the massive mistake to sign with SK and do WHAT THEY COLLECTIVELY DECIDED THEY WANTED TO DO. Until someone in a position of authority came along and made them feel incredibly insecure and guilty about having done whats in their best interests, the players and even Fallen himself are content with the decision to sign with SK. This is made obvious by the fact they won MLG Columbus, something they likely would not have been able to do had the decision been waying on their consciences at all. Where this becomes funny, is where they bring up “Tampering” allogations, and how SK was in their minds, poaching the team. Torturous Interference, how scary right? It almost reminds of this one story from about a year ago, when an up and coming Brazilian roster was “poached” from Keyd Stars and brought to the States. Anyone remember what organization was guilty of that ? Oh right, LG! It’s again very apparent, that once Steve Buyaka was done writing this statement for the players, not only did he not show them it, but he also clearly didn’t consult legal advise prior to posting it. Could you imagine the owner of LG being so narrow sighted as to not cover his ass legally in situations like this? (rhetorical question boys)
You’d think that more emphasis would have been put on making this statement genuine and direct, instead of so wishwashy and clearly enabled. At the very least, it would have included portions of the events from someone other than Fallen or Steve. It was meant to show us how the entire team felt, but rarely made mention to the team. Just because someone wrote the players names at the bottom of this statement, in digital text, doesn’t mean they actually agreed with the statement itself, or agreed to have their names associated with it. It is not a legal signature, like the ones you will find at the bottom of the player contracts this roster signed with SK Gamimg.
The actual truth!
“He was so disappointed as he saw his friends betraying him, and we felt exactly the same thing. There is no worse feeling than doing something wrong for someone that has always looked out for you.” – FalleN
I mean, does this even need to be pointed out again at this point? How more directly, and likely accidentally, could they illustrate the FACT that Steve did everything he could to completely destroy the mental state and elation the players felt initially about the SK signing, in a ploy to mind game them right back into his pockets. He had 3 months between MLG and now to toy with the teams frame of mind, and to coach them in the direct that best benefitted LG and himself.
We should try to remember something very important at play here. LG was a very young and small org the day they poached this roster away from KeyD Stars. Everything LG is today, from the players in other E-sports they’ve been able to sign, to its sponsorship, at direct results of this teams popularity and success. Having the passionate Brazilian fan base in your pocket makes negotiations with sponsors not only much easier and profitable, but also, likely much more common. No one can necessarily blame LG for trying everything they can to keep the roster, but crying foul ethically while being ethically trashy yourselves, is just amateur.
THE REAL TRUTH however is this, and please excuse the exploitative. Alex Muller is a d*ck. Steve Buyaka is a pussy. Dicks fuck pussies, and SK, is going to end up balls deep in LG’s profit portfolio with a smile on their faces one way or another. One way or another, SK will end up with this team, or a massive amount of money in their place.
The statement, while it tried its best, doesn’t change what we already knew. We already knew these players signed binding contracts with SK gaming that will take effect July 1st. We already knew Steve Buyaka upon finding about this massive betrayal, went insance on the players and managed to mind hump them into making a recant of their choice to leave, out of pity and shame. We already knew, given how everything played out, that these players who spent the last year preaching being humble and appreciative, were in fact spoiled ignorant man-children, who seem to think their shit does not stink, and that they can simply decide to do whatever they want, whenever they want, void of consequences. Life just doesn’t work that way boys, regardless of your successes and popularity.
In admitting that they signed with SK, under their own understanding that the LOI had been breached by LG , the players effectively implicate themselves and Steve as liars for having suggested otherwise before. They signed with SK in good faith, without the actual pressures from outside we were originally told existed, and need to honor the one commitment they have made recently, properly. Why beg SK management to fly half way around the world to meet you in person in L.A., if they are bullying your eventual choice to sign they deal? As SK suggested, they need to grow the up, tell Steve and LG to lay off, and stand up for themselves and the original binding decisions they made.
Admitting you’re a piece of crap, doesn’t absolve you from being a piece of crap boys. Release all the pre-writing coached statements you want, please, I beg you. But know that all your lies and half truths produce is a larger hole you’ll need to fabricate more lies to fill. The only way to end what could be a very ugly and costly public shaming is to grab you ball sacks and mice, hold your heads up high proudly, and head over to the SK family, honoring the ACTUAL commitments you made. I mean, making 200-300K each in the next year playing a video game really isn’t all that horrible sounding is it? You poor deceived, pressured, uneducated souls. Ultimately the only things that will change are the colors you wear, and the people who have chosen to back your dreams financially.
While i’m at it!
On a personal note, Buyaka took less than 10 minutes to block me on twitter today after I posed to him some very simple facts and questions. He didn’t like me mentioning how he himself had “poached” this very roster from Keyd Stars less than a year ago, and in doing so, completely under cut and stabbed his current roster of the time in the back. What kind of self absorbed princess is so narrow sighted that he isn’t able to see the karma, and almost ironic turn of events is likely entirely of his own doing? Yes the players may need to mature, But this man is supposed to instill confidence in the players he hopes to sign in the future? Who in their right minds wants this wack job signing their paychecks? Count me out!
In Conclusion
Lastly, While It may seem I hold some bias here, as even Steve Buyaka suggested himself that I work for SK, I don’t. Sk has yet to stoop to the same levels that LG has, and has remained rather quiet in the media. To me that suggests a massive difference in the way they choose to operate in comparison to that of LG. Its almost as if the 20+ year old organization is simply much more mature and professional than the hardly 2 year old LG, and has chosen to continue operating the same way they do everyday. If at some point SK chooses to release a statement of facts, I can all but assure you it will look much different than this one did, provide much greater detail, and possible contain actual evidence of the interactions with the players. Don’t you think LG would have provided screen shots of the bullying and maniputation in the emails if it truly existed? This whole statement and story on ESPN ( which was very pro LG btw ) was designed to sway our popular opinion on the matter as readers, nothing would have done so quicker than releasing emails or other proof of the claims we’re meant to believe.
Ultimately, this issue will likely be resolved in court, as it should. The decision will really come down to the wording of the LOI that the players signed in 2015, and just how valid it is or isn’t on March 26th 2016 when the players sign new contracts with SK. My hunch is pretty obvious im sure. Given what’s been made available to us, I see no way that LG wins this battle outright. Their behavior also suggests they know that. My bet is on SK ultimately winning the decision and either proceeding as planned with the roster, or forcing LG to pay a record amount ( think 2 Million USD or more ) to reacquire the contracts of these players who want so badly to stay where they so badly wanted to leave. If im Alex Muller and SK, either of those outcomes works for me. It will be interesting to see just how much money Steve Buyaka has to put where he mouth is.
