T1 CEO Accuses Zeus’ Agency of Lying About Contract Details

In a recent AMA on FMKorea, T1 CEO Joe Marsh shed light on the controversial circumstances surrounding Zeus’ departure from the team, raising questions about player agency involvement. With the ambiguity surrounding Zeus’ contract renewal and the fallout from T1’s unsuccessful negotiations, the conversation quickly gravitated toward this topic.

Marsh’s insights have sparked further inquiry into not only why Zeus chose not to re-sign but also whether his agent played a role in complicating the process following T1’s triumph at Worlds 2024. Currently, the agency representing Zeus, known as The Play, has refrained from responding to Marsh’s claims, although they are expected to do so soon.

CEO Joe Marsh Accuses Zeus’ Agent of Deception in Negotiations

Joe Marsh trophy lift — Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games

Joe Marsh, alongside T1 executive Tucker Roberts, celebrates their success by lifting the Worlds 2024 trophy.

During the AMA, Marsh stated, “This will be the first and last time I discuss Zeus’ departure,”emphasizing Zeus’ significant contribution to T1’s resurgence alongside players like Oner, Faker, Gumayusi, and Keria.

“Zeus made a personal decision, and while we respect that, we’re grateful for his role in our success. However, this brings us to the handling of his contract negotiations, which raises some concerns,” he remarked.

Following this sentiment, Marsh expressed strong dissatisfaction with how The Play managed negotiations, claiming T1 never received a counter-offer to their proposals for Zeus. Instead, they were simply rejected without any discussion.

Addressing inquiries about Zeus’ compensation, Marsh humorously remarked, “You’d have to ask Zeus… or better yet, try his agent—if you can actually get him to the table!”He elaborated on the contract timeline, noting that the November 19 deadline was set not by T1 but by the agency.

“While I cannot disclose the exact details of Zeus’s offer, we aimed to provide every player with a top-tier salary relevant to their position,” Marsh stated. “Unfortunately, there was no responsive communication from the agent regarding our proposals.”

Marsh reminisced about the meetings, indicating that when the agent visited T1’s office, he claimed to have “nothing to say,”which struck the team as strange for someone negotiating contracts. T1 attempted to engage in constructive dialogue, even offering additional proposals, but without a clear response from Zeus’ representation.

“The agent’s claims of a fictitious deadline purportedly set by HLE were utterly unfounded,” Marsh asserted. “After Zeus’s decision to leave, we confirmed with HLE that no such deadline existed.” This prompted Marsh to voice his belief that misinformation was involved, expressing disappointment over the lack of transparency that should have characterized the negotiation process.

Zeus played an integral role in the team, hinting at potential high stakes regarding his contract.

Marsh also mentioned that T1 was prepared to match any reasonable offer from HLE or other organizations as rumors swirled about Zeus giving verbal commitments to LPL teams before reconsidering.

“From T1’s standpoint, there was no animosity during the contract negotiations. Our frustration rests with the agency’s handling throughout,” Marsh clarified.

“Even if the counteroffer had been astronomical, such as 4 billion KRW—which is the maximum allowed by the Sporting Financial Regulations—it would have initiated discussion,” he added. Marsh pointed out that he was ready to offer a competitive salary to retain Zeus.

He continued, “The agent guaranteed a meeting at T1 HQ, which never materialized, prompting a drive from our team to engage directly with both Zeus and his agent, resulting in no progress.”

Through Marsh’s lens, T1 exhausted all avenues to retain Zeus, while the role of his agent raised numerous red flags. As of now, The Play has not responded to these accusations, but Marsh conveyed that T1 would welcome Zeus back should he decide to return.

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