Following a seven-year League of Legends career, two-time world champion Lee “Wolf” Jae-wan has announced that he plans to retire from competitive play.
[Exclusive Interview] Wolf Officially Announces His Retirement, Talks About His Battles Against Disorders Behind Closed Doors
— 🎄 Inven Global 🎄 (@InvenGlobal) November 29, 2019
✍️@VANVANprj @David_Viion Translated by @LoLQuestKR #LCK @LoL_Wooolf https://t.co/O1Yv4GKJMQ
During a recent interview with InvenGlobal, the former T1 support player said that he went back and forth with himself numerous times before coming to the decision to leave League of Legends play. “I’ve thought about this over and over again,” said Wolf during the interview. “Long story short, I’ve decided to retire as a pro. I’m here to say that I think my time is over.” Wolf last played for the Turkish-based team SuperMassive, but was released earlier this month.
Ultimately, the decision for Wolf to retire came down to mental disorders as the reason for his decision to leave the sport such as depression, adjustment disorder, anxiety, and panic disorder and said he has been suffering from mental health problems for the past couple of years. After speaking with a psychologist, Wolf decided that the best thing for him and his health would be to step away from the esports environment completely, despite it not being the way he would’ve preferred to exit the sport.
Wolf has had a great career as a support player, including his role in helping SK Telecom T1 S win Worlds in 2015 and 2016 after going the team in 2013 to play alongside mid-laner Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. Wolf also helped his T1 team achieve success during the 2015 SBENU Champions Spring, leading the team to attend the 2015 Mid-Season Contest, which ultimately led to a finals defeat.
Wolf marks the third player to announce their retirement from esports in the past month, with Dallas Fuel DPS Dylan “aKm” Bignet being the first to make his decision. Former Washington Justice support player Riley “Fahzix” Taylor announced his retirement this past week citing a return to college for the Overwatch player.
While the decision is a tough one to make for Wolf, we commend him for making it and we wish him all the best in health as focuses on himself for the time being.