The Overwatch League’s Dallas Fuel looks quite a bit different after several shake-ups on Monday. Gui-un “Decay” Jang has been released from his contract for “[refusing] to work with our staff,” Fuel co-owner Mike “Hastr0” Rufail explained in a Twitter thread. Back in June, Jang was rumored to have benched himself to play Valorant instead.
“When a player refuses to practice, [it’s] time for us to move on and give our players their best shot,” Rufail said. “Decay is obviously a great player, but he didn’t fit into our team and didn’t want to cooperate with the goals of our staff. We just can’t keep someone like that around. We wish him the best, and hope he can find a place where his talent fits.”
Amid the loss of Decay, head coach Aaron “Aero” Atkins has “decided to part ways with” the Fuel. “Through all of the ups and downs [of coaching since 2016] I’ve always tried to learn, grow, and make the best decisions I can for all the players and staff I’m responsible for,” Atkins said. “Sometimes I make good ones; sometimes I make bad ones. That’s life.” He said that he’ll be considering new opportunities “both in- and outside of coaching.”
Yong-Jin “Yong” Kim will serve as interim coach in Atkins’s absence.
Assistant coach Louis “Tikatee” Lebel-Wong also left the Dallas Fuel on Monday. In a tweet announcing Tikatee’s departure, the team said, “We thank him for his dedication and commitment to our players throughout his two seasons with our organization.”
Hyeon “Effect” Hwang, who announced his retirement from Overwatch back in April, has officially left the game behind to look after his mental health.
In a heartfelt TwitLonger post, Effect thanked his manager, coaches, teammates, and fans for their support. “I wrote a song for my team, Dallas Fuel,” he said, “and it’s called ‘Burn Blue.’” He added that the song should appear on Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, and other platforms over the next week or two.