On Nov. 11, Executive Director of LCS Players Association, Phillip Aram, issued a statement to Upcomer on the clause which denied Luka “Perkz” Perković negotiation rights with Fnatic in his exit from Cloud9:
“We did a full exhaustive and swift investigation with all the parties involved. Everyone was really forthright in giving us as much information as they could about the situation. And we feel confident that the changes Riot has made and choice not to enforce [the clause] are in the best interest of everyone. There’s not a desire to seek any backward-looking further action.”
As first indicated in a report by Dot Esports’ Jacob Wolf on Nov. 10, Cloud9 was prohibited from shopping their 2021 League Championship Series mid laner, Perkz, to Fnatic this off-season due to a clause written in the buyout agreement between the North American team and G2 Esports in 2020.
Riot has since responded and issued an update on operations moving forward to prohibit similar clauses in the future.
A source close to the situation indicated to Upcomer that the Head of Esports for North America and Oceania and interim LCS Commissioner, Chris Greeley, spoke with a representative as part of his and Riot’s involvement in trying to reach a solution that was fair for Perkz and all parties involved. Aram told Upcomer that “all parties are satisfied with their outcomes.”
According to a source close to the European mid laner, Perkz doesn’t feel as though that clause impacted his ability to find a team or to negotiate freely, nor does he feel it affected his value this off-season. That source assured us that he is happy with his current situation and isn’t interested in reassessing anything with his former contract/buyout agreement.
Over the last 24 hours, the LCS PA conferred with Luka, Riot, and other stakeholders regarding the matter. We are pleased with Riot's decision to change the rules to make clear that these unfair restrictions on player movement are not allowed. https://t.co/ExqZjd9GjM
— LCS Players Association (@NALCSPA) November 11, 2021
Additionally, the LCS Players Association issued a statement on Twitter in support of how Riot handled the situation: “Over the last 24 hours, the LCS PA conferred with Luka, Riot, and other stakeholders regarding the matter. We are pleased with Riot’s decision to change the rules to make clear that these unfair restrictions on player movement are not allowed.”
Perkz was made available for buyout by Cloud9 earlier this off-season after the conclusion of their run at Worlds 2021. He has since been rumored to join Vitality.
Nick Ray also contributed to this article.
