Paul “Redeye” Chaloner is stepping away from esports after decades of working in the industry. The shout caster took to Twitter to announce his departure from the scene following allegations of physical and verbal misconduct from James Banks, which he has denied.
Following the attacks made on my character over the last few days, I have decided to walk away from esports. pic.twitter.com/mWHFVG9VJb
— Redeye (@PaulChaloner) June 29, 2020
James Banks accused Chaloner of verbal abuse and blackmail from his company Code Red Esports, a consulting business where Chaloner has served as Managing Director since 2016. Banks also cited strong verbal abuse from Chaloner during their time at Gfinity creating a dangerous work environment. Banks said that the time with Chaloner was “at the height of [Banks’] depression and anxiety.”
“Following the attacks made on my character over the last few days, I have decided to walk away from esports,” Chaloner said in a statement.
Banks accused Chaloner of stopping journalists from reporting on Chaloner’s alleged abuse. Also, he accused Chaloner of leveraging his position in esports against Banks. According to Banks, Chaloner told him he would never work in the industry again if he didn’t listen to him. Chaloner denied both of those allegations in his response.
While at Gfinity, Banks was removed from the commentator desk for CS:GO by Chaloner and moved to an interviewer position. According to Banks that is where their issues began.
Chaloner responded to Banks’ claims on June 27 before tweeting out his statement today.
“Like many, my mental health has not been great during lockdown but the onslaught of accusations towards my character and the unwarranted involvement of my family has taken this to new depths,” Chaloner said. “I have come very close in the last 24 hours to taking my own life and feel that stepping away to deal with my issues is the only way I am going to survive. I am utterly broken right now.”
Paul “Redeye” Chaloner has been in the industry since 2002 as a commentator, stage host, consultant and more. His book “This is Esports: and how to spell it” about the history of esports released in May. He has hosted numerous Dota International events as well as Counterstrike and Starcraft events.
