Valorant star Jay ‘sinatraa’ Won has announced his intention to compete again, stating that he will begin tryouts as early as this week.
The 22-year-old has been out of action since March 2021, when he was suspended by his organization, Sentinels, and Riot Games amid an investigation into sexual abuse allegations levied against him by former girlfriend Cleo ‘cle0h’ Hernandez.
Two months later, Riot announced that sinatraa had been suspended for six months, dated retroactively to March 9, “for failing to fully cooperate with the investigation.” The game developer deferred the matter to law enforcement authorities, stating, however, that its own investigation had not produced “a definitive conclusion”.
sinatraa’s return to competition has been a hot topic in the Valorant scene over the last year, especially since his suspension ended, on September 9. He has been streaming for Sentinels, never ruling out a return to action one day.
sinatraa announces return
In a surprise tweet posted on April 12, the former Overwatch pro revealed that he is eyeing a return to competition in the near future.
It’s been a year since I was forced to step back from competitive play. In that time, I have learned a lot about myself and grown as a person. I am now ready for a return to competitive play and will be starting tryouts this week.
— Jay Won (@sinatraa) April 12, 2022
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“It’s been a year since I was forced to step back from competitive play,” he wrote. “In that time, I have learned a lot about myself and grown as a person.
“I am now ready for a return to competitive play and will be starting tryouts this week.”
sinatraa did not provide any details about the status of the police investigation or the allegations made by che0h, who denied having dropped the charges against the player.
In a subsequent tweet, sinatraa stated that his “first choice” would be to return to Sentinels, who have been struggling for form since their VCT Stage 2 Masters Reykjavík victory in May 2021.
The North American giants finished the recent VCT Stage 1 Challengers in 7th-8th place, failing to qualify for a major international LAN event for the first time in Valorant history.