T1 CEO Joe Marsh overturned the coaching staff's decision and allowed Gumayusi to return to the starting lineup

T1 bot laner Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyung has been reassigned to return after being briefly removed from the starting lineup, a decision that was made directly by T1 CEO Joe Marsh, overturning a previous decision by the coaching staff.

Previously, the T1 coaching team decided to replace Gumayusi with young rookie Sin Guem-jae "Smash" as the starting AD, a move that sparked dissatisfaction and doubts among a large number of fans.

In response to the outcry, Marsh released a public statement on social media platform X, explaining to T1 fans why management remained silent when making major roster changes.

Marsh said: "I understand that everyone is confused and frustrated about our recent roster changes and the possible use of a six-man rotation. But please know that this is not because we ignore the fans, but because of the internal discussions that the management and coaching staff have been having."

In the statement, Marsh further explained that T1's general manager Jeong Hoi-yoon "Becker" and head coach Kim Jeong-gyun "kkOma" both prefer to start Smash because the young player has been in good form and has performed well recently.

But after many in-depth discussions, Marsh decided to let Gumayusi return to the starting lineup. "I have full trust in Becker, kkOma and the coaching staff. After comprehensive consideration, I asked Gumayusi to return to the starting lineup. He will debut at the start of the 2025 LCK regular season."

“This decision was not made lightly. However, as CEO, it is my responsibility to ensure the best interests of T1 in the long term.”

Currently, Gumayusi will serve as T1's starting AD at the beginning of the new season. However, Smash has not been completely abandoned, and the two players will continue to compete in training games, and it will be up to the coaching team to decide who is most likely to bring victory to T1 in the future.