Danish esports organization Heroic will retain the services of its CS:GO coach, Nicolai “HUNDEN” Petersen, throughout his eight-month ban for abusing the coach spectating bug, Heroic announced today.
HUNDEN abused the bug for 21 rounds in total across two games in May. The 29-year-old also helped Heroic win ESL One Cologne Europe in August when it wasn’t possible to abuse the coaching bug anymore.
HUNDEN will fulfill his duties as a coach and will work closely with Casper “cadiaN” Møller as an analyst. Banned coaches can’t sit behind their team during matches and can’t be in the same room as the team 15 minutes prior to the match’s start and until it ends.
“Nicolai’s mistake does not reflect the values or standards Heroic holds or wants to promote, but a mistake is a mistake. We all make them,” Heroic’s CEO Erik Askered said. From now on, Heroic will focus on maintaining their rank spot (No. 2 in HLTV’s world rankings). HUNDEN has so much to give to CS:GO that losing him would harm Heroic and the pro scene as a whole, according to Askered.
HUNDEN hung up his mouse in April after he was benched by MAD Lions and Heroic signed him afterward. The 29-year-old was one of the three coaches who were caught using the bug in August and received a one-year ban at that time.
The investigation evolved under the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC)’s authority and it was announced yesterday that HUNDEN would have to serve only eight months since he assisted with ESIC’s investigation. So far, 36 more CS:GO coaches have been banned and there are more to come in the near future, according to ESIC.
