More drama is blossoming in the North American LCS, as another team is losing their head coach. However, this isn’t due to free agency, but due to another controversy. Brandon “Saintvicious” DiMarco is resigning from his head coaching position with FlyQuest, after his remarks on depression.
— FlyQuest (@FlyQuest) December 9, 2018
FlyQuest would tweet out a announcement confirming their news to the NA LCS fans. They would also announce that Gabriel “Invert” Zoltan-Johan and David “Cop” Roberson were taking over coaching duties for the team. Cop would join FlyQuest this past offseason as an assistant coach, alongside the addition of Eugene “Pobelter” Park. Many assume that Cop will also be heading on-stage for the team, while FlyQuest searches for a suitable replacement.
Controversial Remarks
A few days ago, Saintvicious would make some pretty controversial statements about the topic of depression. Saintvicious would state, “Depression, anxiety, ADHD… all that shit is just made up bulls***.” He would also go into the topic, saying that it isn’t an illness at all. Later on, he would double down on his remarks on Reddit, where he would say:
I do think that depression is something that f***s people up. However, I am strongly against accepting the label that one is depressed and that one can’t mentally condition themselves out of it. As soon as you accept the label and that there is nothing you can do about it, that is when you are failing yourself. I was clinically diagnosed with depression earlier in my life and every piece of literature I read on it or reports from others seemed to convey the same thoughts that you cant will yourself out of it.
As many would expect, there would be a huge backlash against Saintvicious’ comments. Multiple members of the League community would crucify the coach for his comments, especially on the League of Legends subreddit. This would end up causing his removal from FlyQuest and his resignation from his head coaching position.
Reactions
After the news would break, Saintvicious would take to his Facebook in order to give an apology. He would acknowledge that his “ignorant statement [was] stemming from [his] severe lack of subject matter knowledge.”
This is a very humbling experience for me; I was surprised to realize just how uninformed I was regarding mental health, especially because it is an important part of my responsibilities as a coach. I hope, through this reality check, that I can grow to become an advocate for mental health issues and a better pillar for the people I care about.
Although the statement would seem well-thought and sincere, many people believe that it was not genuine. Fans would state that that his apology was very PR-looking as well. Granted, many people have the right to doubt Saintvicious and his words. However, not many realize that without direct experience, mental health issues are very hard to understand. However, this only solidifies the stance that education on mental health needs to be more widespread. Like Saintvicious, many people in the country have no knowledge or little knowledge about the effects of mental health issues. It is our jobs to teach ourselves, in order to better ourselves.
What are your thoughts on Saintvicious’ remarks and subsequent resignation? Let us know what you think in the comments below! If you want more NA LCS coverage, check us out here!
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