Former League of Legends caster-turned-developer, David “Phreak” Turley, announced today he is leaving social media due to toxicity and death threats.
The 36-year-old regularly posts videos about League’s patch previews to his YouTube channel, but in his latest video released on Nov. 15, Phreak explained how he has been facing extreme toxicity and even received threats to his life, so will be taking a step back from social media going forward.
“I am more or less going to quit social media for the immediate future,” Phreak said in the video. “The amount of toxicity has risen so sharply that it’s not worth me seeing the occasionally useful comment amidst all the death threats. So it is what it is.”
While it’s devastating for fans to see Phreak forced to leave social media, it hardly comes as a surprise to see him facing toxicity. League’s community is known for being toxic, and by explaining Riot’s changes in his videos, Phreak positioned himself as the face of the developer team. This made him an easy target for trolls and hateful community members.
Phreak joined the developer team in December 2022 after being a League caster since 2009. He has cast hundreds of games over his career, mostly focusing on the LCS, but also working on the biggest international events in the scene, like Mid-Season Invitationals and Worlds. He was even a caster in the first League of Legends World Championship in 2011.
Fortunately, while the community has way too many toxic players, there are also many with both feet on the ground. The news quickly made it to social media, where players and fans supported Phreak in his decision and criticized those harassing the former caster.
