Even after another disappointing loss to Gen.G, people expected League of Legends icon Faker to stay calm, cool, and collected as he’s always done throughout his career. But on Saturday, Aug. 3, the greatest player of all time was seen repeatedly headbutting a wall while in the player’s booth, causing the community to band together in concern for his wellbeing.
In the video, Faker can be seen standing around with his teammates in the soundproof player booth when he suddenly turns around and begins headbutting the wall behind him. His teammates missed what was going on at first, but as his outburst continued to ramp up, they began to notice.
Eventually, T1 star AD carry Gumayusi stepped in and physically restrained Faker from causing more harm to himself as they slowly exited the booth alongside the rest of the team. While emotions and frustration running high are common on the League stage, this was the first time that the community had seen this type of breakdown from the 28-year-old veteran, causing widespread worry across the League community.
“Waking up to see the Faker video is really frightening, and it’s despicable to see some folks cheering it,” Former LCS caster Isaac “Azael” Cummings-Bentley wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “The amount of pressure on pros to stay at the top of their field is immense, and even more so to do it for a decade straight.”
Faker is known as the stalwart franchise player of the T1 dynasty and has been the face of competitive League for almost a decade. The iconic competitor has always been cool under extreme pressure, but after 10 years of leading the most popular team in the world, he might need to step back and possibly take some time for his mental health.
T1 is one of the most scrutinized organizations in League, and its players have had to deal with various forms of toxicity throughout the last few years. From constant DDoS attacks that prevented them from practicing to sending advertisement trucks to display messages outside their headquarters, they have been under significant pressure to win—simply due to the T1 name.
It isn’t known if Faker will take some time away from stage play, especially if there are only two games left in the season with a spot in playoffs at stake. But right now, most people are hoping that he takes the time to care for himself and his mental and emotional health as he continues forward through the year and beyond.
Published: Aug 3, 2024 11:18 am