Riot Games Officially Suspends Former TSM Coach For Cheating

Riot Games has permanently suspended former TSM coach Peter Zhang from the competitive League of Legends scene following allegations of cheating. After the end of the internal investigation by the club, the developers published their results and made a final decision on the punishment of the Chinese mentor.

Peter Zhang is permanently suspended from any association or team or organization membership in Riot Games sanctioned competition for engaging in what we consider disturbing and unethical behavior towards current and former TSM players and staff. Peter Zhang violated the LCS Rule Set and the LCS Eligibility and Exemption Agreement by transferring part of the players' wages to accounts owned by himself and partners, misleading and not paying full compensation to a former TSM player for selling the player's car, and extorting loans from TSM players and staff. In addition, evidence suggests that during his time at TSM, he shared non-public information about the club's recruiting decisions, possibly in exchange for personal gain.

Riot Games official verdict

Peter Zhang has engaged in unethical conduct towards current and former TSM players and staff in violation of LCS Rule Set 14.2.10 and the LCS Admission and Release Agreement. Consequently, Peter Zhang is permanently prohibited from any association or affiliation with a team or organization in competitions sanctioned by Riot Games.

Peter Zhang worked in the TSM organization from 2018 to 2022, after which he was fired due to a conflict of interest. Despite the presence of direct evidence, the former coach denied his guilt in every possible way.

The case is currently ongoing. After completing its own investigation, TSM turned over the data to the FBI.

Recall that the machinations of the former coach became known in March 2022. In addition to stealing, he was accused of taking bribes for a place in the team. Shortly thereafter, TSM terminated the contract with Peter Zhang and began its own investigation.

Already in May, the North American esports organization TSM completed an internal investigation into financial fraud by Peter Zhang. At the time, the club alleged that the former head of development diverted players' salaries and withheld more than $300,000 in debt.

In particular, it was alleged that Peter Zhang kept money from the players' salaries for himself, and also acted as a conduit for financial transfers between players and unspecified individuals in their native China.

In addition to this, he also kept money related to the $80,000 car sale for one of TSM's high-profile signings, SwordArt, when they left the team. After repeatedly asking for repayments, Peter Zhang became desperate and began asking players and colleagues for significant amounts of money, citing "medical bills" for his grandmother as the reason he was in dire financial straits.

As a result, it was revealed that the vast majority of player wage transfers between December 2021 and February 2022, including large upfront payments, were redirected to non-player bank accounts, of which one was personally owned by Peter Zhang.