Once the indomitable titan of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Astralis has fallen off the wayside quite a bit in the last few years. The departures of some of their biggest stars have led to them falling back into the middle of the pack. Recently, though, Astralis was involved with some drama surrounding one of their players, Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecki.

After weeks of speculation about the true nature of k0nfig's injury, Astralis has decided to part ways with the Danish rifler. Shortly after his release, k0nfig released a TwitLonger detailing what exactly happened regarding his injury. Before we look at that, though, let's take a look at the timeline of the events leading up to his release from the team.

September 20 – Astralis announce k0nfig injury ahead of EU RMR

With the 2022 Rio Major around the corner, the RMR tournaments for the event started around three weeks ago. Astralis, like many other teams, were looking for a shot at going back to a Major tournament. However, just days before their first RMR game, they announced that k0nfig would not be available due to a leg fracture he suffered.

At the time, fans did not have any indication of what the injury was about. Some fans speculated that it could be another accident at the house. After all, k0nfig has once injured himself in the airport while walking. The biggest concern Astralis fans had was who could replace the rifler. However… things would take a drastic turn nearly a week later.

September 27 – Reports of k0nfig's fist-fight in Malta surface

A week after the initial news of k0nfig's injury was released, Jaxon.gg reported that Astralis was set to release the rifler. That bit wasn't exactly shocking: the organization has been looking to acquire former star Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz from Ninjas in Pajamas. However, the surprising part was the reason why konfig was going to be let go.

According to Jaxon.gg, the Danish rifler was involved in a fist fight in Malta, where the ESL Pro League event was held. It was a shocking twist, as many fans did not expect k0nfig to do that. Speculation started to fester about how the fight started and what happened during the fight.

A few days later, Jaxon.gg released another report on k0nfig's fist-fight, this time with reported eyewitness testimony. According to a bystander, the Astralis player got into an argument with a night club promoter. The altercation started when the promoter spat on the player and kicked him. Afterwards, k0nfig reportedly followed the aggressor, and engaged in a fist-fight, where he broke his leg.

Many fans criticized k0nfig for getting into a physical altercation days before their most important tournament. However, the truth of what happened would soon turn the opinions of those that critiqued him.

October 10 – Astralis release k0nfig, k0nfig drops TwitLonger

After a few more weeks, Astralis finally pulled the trigger and released k0nfig. The organization was pretty mum about the reason why, saying it was due to personal circumstances.

Soon after, though, k0nfig would release a TwitLonger post detailing his side of the story. The post will be linked here, but his statements corroborate most of the initial leaks: a promoter was rude to him, spat and kicked him, and then the player followed him and fought him. The way k0nfig described this altercation, though, was frightening, as he said that he felt he was going to die at some point.

It's interesting to note, though, that k0nfig seems very remorseful in his TwitLonger. The Danish player detailed the physical and mental pain he went through this whole ordeal. He nearly wasn't cleared to fly back to his home country, and then went through three surgeries to repair his leg. It was genuinely heartbreaking, and the fact that he realized he messed up seemed to soften the criticism levied at him.

Hopefully, k0nfig recovers physically and mentally from this traumatic experience. We wish him the best in his recovery and await his return to the scene.