Another day goes by, another Paladins player is disciplined for abusive behavior. This time it’s SirJamesParker (SJP) from team Heating Up. On April 29, Skillshot League Operations issued a competitive ban against the player. This ban — which, in this case, is effectively a suspension — lasts through Phase 1 of the 2019 Paladins Console League.
Skillshot League Operations initiated an investigation into SJP after another unnamed player filed a complaint. The investigation concluded that SJP had indeed made comments “unbecoming of the [Paladins] competitive community.” The ruling states he is being banned for “targeted racism.”
Three bans in under two months
The news comes a month after minor league player Kerim “Kcruncy” Kerimov was banned for targeted harassment. Kcruncy played for team Clown Fiesta, competing in the Paladins Minor League. Six days before Kcruncy’s ban, another PML player was banned: Sebastian “Lumzee” Duma of team BOORK. Lumzee’s ban came down for “persistently displaying signs of racism [and] homophobia.”
That makes three Paladins professional circuit players receiving bans in less than two months. Whether this string of disciplinary bans is a sign of endemic problems in the professional community or not, one thing is clear: Skillshot League Operations is taking claims of harassment seriously.
Notably, both Kcruncy and Lumzee were their respective teams’ captains. They also both received permanent bans. Unlike them, SJP must only sit out until Phase 1 ends on June 3. If Heating Up makes it through into Phase 2, they could theoretically rotate SJP back on their active roster for the rest of PCL 2019. The 16 teams who qualified for this year’s PCL are competing for a total of $80,000 in prize money.
Daily Esports reached out to members of team Heating Up, including SJP, for comments regarding the incident. We will update this post when additional information is available. In the meantime, stay tuned for more Paladins news!
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