"Not where I thought I'd be a month ago": Former XSET Valorant pro feels Andrew Tate cost him his job

Many teams have been left out of the upcoming Valorant Champions Tour 2023, thanks to the new partnership system that Riot Games introduced. The company behind the popular tactical shooter took quite some time to name the 30 teams who would be a part of the brand new VCT 2023 tournament format.

Given that Valorant has an active professional circuit globally, fans understood that many teams wouldn't make the cut. However, many top-rated teams have been snubbed for the forthcoming season. In a strange twist of events, an XSET Valorant pro feels that Andrew Tate cost him a spot at the VCT 2023 tournament. Read on to find out how.

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Valorant pro zekken takes to Twitter to say Andrew Tate cost him a job

Zachary "zekken" Patrone is a famous esports player in the Valorant community. He played for XSET and is currently an inactive member of the team. XSET is a widely popular esports organization within the Valorant circuit, but Riot Games didn't offer them a spot for the upcoming VCT season. However, zekken and his teammates still had a shot at the tournament as there were rumors of G2 Esports acquiring the entire roster. And then, Andrew Tate happened.

For those unaware, Andrew Tate is probably one of the most controversial figures on the internet today. Tate is known for often making sexist and misogynistic remarks. The former kickboxer was banned from several social media sites after many individuals complained about the impact he was having on his fans.

While he isn't remotely connected to Valorant or any professional team, he was spotted partying with Carlos "ocelote" Rodriguez, the CEO of G2 Esports. Following the incident, the supervisors on G2's board banned Rodriguez for eight weeks. Although he did issue an apology on Twitter following the incident, the damage was done.

After a meeting in Istanbul, Riot Games took away G2 Esports' slot in the partner program. This decision has impacted not only G2 but also XSET because its roster was reportedly set to be acquired by G2.

While both organizations are yet to make a statement concerning the acquisition, this entire ordeal caused zekken to take to Twitter on September 22 to express his disappointment over how things panned out. He tweeted:

"Having to explain to my mom how Andrew Tate cost me a job is not where I thought I’d be a month ago"

The esports athlete also mentioned that he is now a restricted free agent and was looking for a team already selected in the Valorant partnership program.

The community has come out in support of zekken and has wished him luck wherever he goes next. He, however, isn't the only professional player who is out of a job thanks to the overall franchising system that Riot Games introduced.

A few days ago, a major part of OpTic Gaming's Valorant roster took to Twitter to announce that they had left the organization. The members included Victor "Victor" Wong, Austin "crashies" Roberts, and Jaccob "yay" Whittaker. Out of the three, Victor and crashies are currently unrestricted free agents. Yay, on the other hand, is a restricted free agent since he still has a contract with OpTic Gaming.

While Riot Games did give some smaller teams a chance with this partnership program, many popular players will miss the tournament because their teams did not receive a spot. However, with multiple professional athletes now available as free agents in the market, it will be interesting to see which team manages to build the best roster in the upcoming transfer window.