Sentinels‘ Valorant coach Shane “Rawkus” Flaherty was released due to buyout issues in negotiations with FaZe Clan.
Rawkus is a former Overwatch player who moved to Valorant to play for FaZe Clan before being tapped to coach the massively successful Sentinels roster on loan. FaZe Clan and Sentinels were unable to find an agreeable buyout for Rakus to become a mainstay of the Sentinels roster.
Sentinels coach Rawkus returns to FaZe Clan
Despite the perception by some fans, the coach had never been fully transferred to Sentinels, operating on loan while still signed to FaZe Clan.
His departure was announced on his
Twitter. Under his coaching, the Sentinels roster flourished and claimed the first proper LAN at VCT Stage 2 Masters: Reykjavik with an impressive victory. He had previously stated that the only reason he even considered the offer to coach was the specific makeup of the Sentinels organization and roster.
Sentinels negotiated with FaZe Clan to fully buy Rawkus from the organization given his success with the Sentinels roster. However, buyout issues were encountered and the two teams weren’t able to see eye to eye on the terms of Rawkus’ buyout.
In the statement, Rawkus said that he wants to return to the professional scene as a player. It’s clear that Rawkus has no interest in seeking out another coaching position.
Sentinels fans will be sad to see him go, as his mentorship and leadership were credited by many of the Sentinel players throughout his stay with them. From the Sentinels players’ reactions as well as Rawkus’ tone in his statement, it seems as though the roster and coach would have preferred to stick together.
Rawkus made it clear that he hasn’t been involved in anything the team has done over the past two weeks and will be converting his online presence to reflect his current position under FaZe Clan.
Nicholas James
About Nicholas James
Nicholas James is a gaming writer with a passion for all things geekdom, as well as live theater. Nicholas is best known for covering League of Legends and other top MOBA titles, but his expertise covers numerous games across multiple genres. When not watching the LCS or playing the latest new release, Nicholas can be found doing some tabletop gaming and painting his favorite miniatures. Nicholas has also published with Hotspawn, TheGamer, Dexerto, Esports.gg and other industry outlets.
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