T1 was expected to keep their Worlds-winning roster to run it back for yet another year, vying for a third title in a row with one of the best rosters ever built. However, Zeus left the team for HLE. What happened with his contract, and why did he leave T1?
According to T1, there was more afoot here than just Zeus leaving for greener pastures. Though there was surely a route to stay with the team if the star top laner pushed for it, T1 suspect foul play from The Play, the agency managing him.
The result has been an unexpectedly messy off-season for T1, with details getting even more murky as both T1 and Zeus’ agencies tell their sides of the story.
Here’s a full explanation of why Zeus left T1 and how it may not have been entirely up to him.
Zeus was weighing his options in the off-season
According to a statement from The Play, T1’s star top laner was willing to stay with the team in the off season if the contract was right. However, both parties went back and forth as they tried to hone in on the right number.
Here’s a table showing the dates, times, and offers from both sides according to The Play’s record of negotiations:
| Date | Event | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| November 12 | T1 first face-to-face negotiation/T1’s first proposal | Proposal Review |
| November 15 | T1 second face-to-face neogtiation | Proposal Review |
| November 16 | First virtual negotiation/T1’s second proposal | Proposal Rejected (Will assess the market) |
| November 17 | Second virtual negotiation | Proposal Rejected (Will assess the market) |
| November 18 | Third virtual negotiation/T1’s third proposal and a call between Zeus and T1 | Proposal Rejected (Will assess the market) |
| November 19 8:30AM | Morning meeting with Zeus | Proposed and scheduled by agency |
| November 19 10:00AM | Start negotiation with other organizations | Proposed and scheduled by agency |
| November 19 11:40AM | Delivered counteroffer to T1 | Proposed by agency |
| November 19 1:10PM | Delivered final offer in response to counteroffer | Proposed by T1 |
| November 19 1:50PM | T1’s final offer rejected | Proposed by agency |
| November 19 1:50PM | Call between Zeus and T1 | Proposed by T1 |
| November 19 2:10PM | T1 requested meeting with Zeus to make an additional offer | Proposed by T1 |
| November 19 2:10PM | Met up with Zeus and gave a deadline to T1 for their final offer | Proposed by agency |
| November 19 2:50PM | Agency reached out to T1 for a final offer | Proposed by agency |
| November 19 2:53PM | Call between Zeus and T1 | Proposed by T1 |
| November 19 3:10PM | Final final offer delivered | Proposed by T1 |
| November 19 3:20PM | Counteroffer | Proposed by agency |
| November 19 3:30PM | Negotiation ends due to “unacceptable” counteroffer from T1 | Carried out by agency |
This table provides a clear idea of how things went down between Zeus’ agency and the team, and it’ll provide a baseline to work off of in terms of the accusations that were fired from both sides.
T1 CEO calls out Zeus’ player agency
The account of T1 CEO Joe Marsh conflicts with The Play’s schedule in some key ways.
For one, he argued that Zeus’ agent didn’t put forward a single counteroffer through this entire process, which is in clear conflict with a large portion of The Play’s noted schedule.
Marsh also claimed that the deadline of 3PM on November 19 was artificially imposed by the agency rather than being put forth by Hanwha Life Esports. The CEO went as far as claiming he contacted HLE independently, with the org saying they never set a deadline for the signing of Zeus.
“The agent imposed an artificial ‘deadline,’ claiming it was set by HLE. However, after Zeus made his decision to leave, we spoke with HLE, and they confirmed that no such deadline was ever established,” Marsh explained.
“In my opinion, someone is not being truthful in this situation. Having worked with HLE for many years, I trust their word regarding what was said. It’s disheartening that such tactics played a role in the process, as we believed Zeus deserved transparency and fairness in making such an important decision about his future.”
By his account, he and T1 both did everything they could to retain Zeus, with him accusing the agency of getting in the way of them trying to keep him. T1 expected him to stay with the team up until the 19th and was more concerned about nailing down the right contract than keeping him.
“From our standpoint, Zeus made his decision on the first day of the free agency period. Throughout the time leading up to that day, we had to get the impression that we were getting closer to an agreement until the mood suddenly changed around noon that day.
“As for how the other players reacted and the atmosphere within the team, we believe those conversations should remain private out of respect for everyone involved.”
The Play responds to T1’s accusations about Zeus’ contract
Zeus’ agency didn’t hold back in their efforts to shoot down Marsh’s claims, going as far as claiming the contract given to him in 2023 was “unacceptable” but that the top laner chose to stay with the team, anyway.
The following quotes are from a fan translation by LCK Subs:
“Entering the 2024 transfer market, Zeus entered into negotiations with the intention of renewing his contract with T1, even if the conditions offered by T1 were lower than those offered by other teams, as long as T1 provided him with at least the minimum recognition and treatment for his contributions thus far.
“However, T1 made an unacceptable offer to Zeus, a member of the team that contributed to winning the World Championship for two consecutive years. For the agency, and of course from unselfish Zeus’ perspective, this was a condition that was difficult to readily accept,” The Play claimed.
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“T1 claims that the offer reflects the player’s position of wanting a long-term contract, but looking at the terms offered, it is difficult to agree with how this contract would be beneficial to the player.”
The agency also said that they never agreed to the meeting from T1 that they proposed at 2:10 PM on November 19, as is reflected in the schedule that The Play posted with their account of events.
The terms of the contract that they claim to have found “unacceptable” in both 2023 and 2024 haven’t been publicly released, but they claim 2024’s proposal was bad enough that they were unwilling to move forward with negotiations. This is despite Zeus expressing that he’d be willing to stay with T1 even if it meant taking a contract with the team at a loss compared to other offers.
The Play also gave their side on the promise to HLE to create a deadline on Zeus contract for 3 PM, claiming they extended the deadline just to give T1 a chance to respond.
“The somewhat tight deadline of 3 PM was set because Hanwha Life Esports made the request first, as the direction of the team’s FA market plans could change depending on Zeus’ future. Since Zeus’ will to remain with T1 was strong, we requested that the deadline be extended slightly in order to have additional negotiations with T1, and the deadline was ultimately extended to 3:30 PM, and we continued to negotiate online with T1 until then,” they explained.
The contract was penned by 3:30PM, and the T1 representatives who went to meet with Zeus didn’t arrive until 4PM. The Play claims they weren’t aware that there were reps coming in person rather than continuing the negotiations online, and they conceded that Zeus would have likely stayed with T1 if the contract hadn’t already been locked in under HLE’s conditions.
“We had no idea that COO Ahn Woong-ki would come in person, and if T1 had accepted the terms of the contract via phone before 3:30 PM, Zeus would have likely chosen to remain with T1, but T1 did not accept the offer regarding the contract term even while on the way to meet Zeus.
“Also, although the negotiations have ended, Zeus met with T1 staff who visited around 4 PM, and they parted ways in a friendly atmosphere where they cheered each other on. Some people have misunderstood that Zeus did not meet with T1’s senior staff, which is not true.”
It’s worth noting that Hanwha Life Esports have declined to publicly comment on their involvement with the roster move on either side.
Zeus speaks out on T1 contract drama
So, what does Zeus have to say about all this?
His statement was translated by a fan on Reddit, and that translation reads as follows:
“Yesterday, FA was announced earlier than expected, so I couldn’t properly greet you, which was different from my intention, so I feel so sorry about it. I entered as a trainee in 2019 and was so happy to be able to play with such great hyungs until this year. I’m grateful to (ONER) Hyeonjun hyung, who has been through everything with me since I was a trainee, (FAKER) Sanghyeok hyung, who I always learned a a lot from, (GUMAYUSI) Minhyung hyung, who always gave me positive energy, (KERIA) Minseok hyung, who helped me play comfortably, and the team that believed in me and gave me a chance.
“It was an honor to receive so much love as a member of T1, and I’m so sorry that I’m leaving so suddenly, even though they gave me so much love. I still can’t believe it, but I’m sorry that the fans must have been very surprised.
“I am so grateful to the manager who always took good care of me, and to the team leader, and for (T1 COO) Woongki-nim too. I am also so grateful to the coaches who always believed in me and allowed me to learn a lot.
“As I have learned so much from T1, I will always try to learn from my shortcomings and become a player who can improve further when I go to other teams. Thank you for reading my ramblings.”
He thanked his teammates in the same sort of fashion you’d expect from any player leaving a roster they had such a historic run with, but there’s not much in here that sheds light on the situation.
With T1 CEO Joe Marsh vowing not to publicly speak about the off-season contract drama, The Play having said their side of the story, and Zeus putting it to bed, this will likely be the last we hear on the situation for now.
However, with the sheer amount of discrepancies between T1 and The Play’s account of how Zeus’ contract was handled, there’s a chance we see legal action taken from either side.