Mentioned in this article
- Rick Fox has left esports organization Echo Fox, and is free to work in the industry.
- Fox was reportedly set to be ousted on Oct. 21 following a vote from his limited partners. Fox sued two of his partners earlier this month.
- Fox will reportedly start a new organization with former Echo Fox president Jace Hall.
Echo Fox founder and former NBA player Rick Fox has agreed to exit the organization following public conflicts and competing lawsuits between partners.
Newsweek first reported the news yesterday, noting that lawyers for both Fox and the organization had spent a week working out an agreement to settle the suits. Fox is able to continue working in esports as part of the deal, and the publication reports that Fox will join former Echo Fox president Jace Hall to form a new esports organization, Twin Galaxies International.
Fox retweeted the Newsweek article, and provided it a statement about his plans:
“I have chosen to leave Echo Fox, the esports company that I founded, as a method to end the turbulent fighting, and instead just continue to advance my visionary interest in being involved in a number of forward-thinking opportunities in the video game space with other strong, credible partners that share my values.
“On the court and in the business world, teammates are everything and there must be unity and a shared sense of purpose in order to succeed. In the case of Echo Fox, the significant difference of values, ethics, and commitment to integrity was very problematic and damaging. I have shared my thoughts on this in my past statements and court filings and sincerely hope that my experience can help provide further insight for people who should, of course, make their own judgments and determinations. I have learned some very painful lessons, and am relieved to now be moving on towards more positive business experiences.”
Conflicts within Echo Fox became public in April, when a report suggested that Fox planned to leave the organization following alleged racist comments and threats from investor Amit Raizada. Riot Games investigated the allegations and issued a directive that Echo Fox must remove Raizada from the organization within 60 days. Unable to do so, Echo Fox was forced to sell its League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) franchise slot.
Ultimately, Riot Games handled the process and sold the slot to Evil Geniuses on Echo Fox’s behalf. Fox was reportedly set to be ousted from the company on Oct. 21 following a vote by more than 80% of Echo Fox’s limited partners, who alleged that he acted against the company’s best interests. Fox filed suit earlier this month, alleging fraud and misuse of company funds against partners Raizada and Stratton Sclavos. Echo Fox’s future is currently unclear following Fox’s departure.
