Why was Clid banned from LoL? Clid controversy, explained

After an extensive career spanning several years, Korean League of Legends star Kim “Clid” Tae-min has been banned from playing professionally.

The 24-year-old jungler has been hit with this major punishment due to a multitude of reasons and will be stepping away from the scene for an extended amount of time. Riot Games also explained why he was banned in an official statement on the Riot Korea website, along with how long the ban will last for the two-time LCK champion.

Why is Clid banned from playing professional League?

Clid has been banned from playing pro League due to multiple allegations of sexual harassment this past summer, stemming from explicit messages the pro player allegedly sent to women via KakaoTalk and Facebook. One woman in particular who came forward claimed Clid spoke to her in a similar manner while she was still a minor.

Related: Clid ruled out of HLE’s LCK matchday roster after sexual harassment allegations

Since the allegations surfaced, Clid was promptly replaced in Hanwha Life Esports’ starting lineup by Jo “Grizzly” Seung-hoon in June, but the team failed to qualify for the 2023 World Championship. Riot also conducted a disciplinary review of Clid with a thorough internal investigation and found that the pro player made highly inappropriate remarks toward the two women in question.

As a result, Riot has banned Clid from participating in any Riot-affiliated events, meaning he cannot play in the LCK, LCKCL, or in other regions in the competitive League of Legends circuit run by the company.

How long is Clid banned from pro League?

Clid’s ban from Riot-affiliated events will start at the beginning of next year and will last 12 months. He also has an 18-month ban from any Korean tournaments, which means he will have to play in another region if he wishes to make a return in 2025.

Hanwha Life Esports has not released a statement about his ban at time of writing.