Counter-Strike: Global Offensive organization Heroic issued a statement regarding former Head Coach Nicolai “HUNDEN” Petersen after he was issued a two-year ban.
Petersen was found guilty of breaking competitive integrity by sharing “anti-strategy” material with an opposing team ahead of IEM Cologne. Heroic then terminated Petersen’s contract. On Aug. 27, the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) announced the information gathered from an investigation into Petersen and the incident. Following the findings from the ESIC and the issuing of the two-year ban, Heroic released a statement regarding their former coach.
“We are pleased that ESIC agrees with us,” Heroic said in an official statement on Twitter. “ESIC makes it clear that Mr. Petersen’s actions were ‘unacceptable and would not be tolerated in traditional sports under any circumstances.’ We also welcome ESIC’s comments on the importance of professional conduct as esports becomes increasingly important and popular.”
— HEROIC (@heroicgg) August 27, 2021
“This case was never only about Hunden letting his teammates down, it also raised a fundamental question,” Herioc said in the statement. “Should fans and the esports community be able to expect fair play from professional esports teams? The answer from Heroic is yes, and we’re pleased that ESIC agrees.”
ESIC issues a press release regarding the ban
On Aug. 27, when the two-year ban for Petersen was issued, ESIC released a statement detailing the findings from the investigation. Petersen had announced that he had shared “anti-strategy” information with an opposing team before IEM Cologne. This information was shared via Google Drive with a senior employee of an opposing team. Allegedly, Petersen sent the opposing team information regarding Heroic’s play while planning a career move to that team.
After the investigation was concluded, the ESIC found Petersen guilty of breaking competitive integrity and he was issued a two-year ban from Aug. 25, 2021, to Aug. 24, 2023.
