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Evil Geniuses CEO Nicole LaPointe Jameson published an announcement on Twitter regarding their League of Legends roster for the upcoming Lower Bracket Finals match against 100 Thieves this weekend. The whole statement read:
With much respect and an open heart I share with you today that our beloved Kyle “Danny” Sakamaki will not be competing at this weekend's LCS Summer Split Finals in Chicago.
It takes a great deal of courage and self-awareness to recognize when the right time is to step away from something you've worked so hard at achieving, especially when you care so deeply for this organization and your teammates, in order to focus on mental health.
Kyle has played an integral part in EG's success this year in LCS and there are not enough words to express his undisputable value to this team and organization. We at Evil Geniuses are more than just an organization, we're a family. We battle together, win together, lose together and support each other through every situation. Kyle is a part of this family and we will continue to support him in every way possible as he takes time away, and we look forward to welcoming him back when he's ready.
To fans of the LCS community, we ask that you show Kyle nothing but unwavering support and the empathy he deserves from all of us. Because this community is more than just fandom and rivalries, or trash talk and banter—it's about the love of this esport. Together, we can be a positive force that is understanding and supportive. We encourage you to remember that players are humans too, and that they dedicate their lives to this game, with the weight of the world on their shoulders, for our entertainment.
We look forward to your love and support this weekend in Chicago.
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This comes after the five-game match against Team Liquid, which Evil Geniuses ended up winning and snuffed out the former team's chances at Worlds 2022.
A potential reason for this might be Danny's seemingly limited champion pool. Throughout the match against Team Liquid, Evil Geniuses banned Kalista and Sivir in all games, while Team Liquid banned Zeri as an answer. This made fans viewers question his ability to play either Kalista or Sivir; EG had several chances to first-pick both of these champions due to being on blue side but chose to ban them anyway. This apparent “champion puddle” caused him to play champions like Miss Fortune, Jinx, and a Senna-Tahm Kench lane, all of which are subpar to the current top-tier bot lane champions.
That being said, there was no official cause mentioned in the statement, and we can just take it at face value that Danny did not feel like he was performing sufficiently well to represent the Geniuses for the remainder of the playoffs. While not confirmed, it's assumed that EG Academy bot laner Muhammed “Kaori” Şentürk will play in his place against 100 Thieves, and Cloud9 should they win.
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