Riot fires Ron Johnson for insensitive comments on George Floyd

Following several days of internal review, Riot Games has terminated Ron Johnson, who served as the organization’s global head of consumer products, due to racially offensive statements concerning George Floyd’s death. This decisive action represents a significant corporate response to inappropriate executive behavior that conflicts with modern workplace standards.

The development team behind League of Legends communicated this decision through an official statement, disseminated across social media platforms by esports journalist Rod “Slasher” Breslau. Within the corporate communication, Riot characterized Johnson’s commentary as “deeply offensive,” asserting the executive’s words fundamentally contradicted the organization’s core principles and ethical framework.

“As we communicated previously, Riot is implementing carefully considered measures to address systemic racism and inequality within both our professional environments and broader communities,” the corporate announcement elaborated further.

Riot additionally declared they have allocated $1 million toward criminal justice reform initiatives and combating racial prejudice, alongside backing local African American-owned enterprises. The company further dedicated $10 million to transform industry demographics by establishing development pathways for historically marginalized groups within gaming and technology sectors.

According to Breslau’s reporting, journalist Seth Schiesel originally broke this story. Schiesel authored an exclusive feature for Protocol detailing how Verizon would only finalize their business arrangement with Riot if the company appropriately addressed Johnson’s inflammatory social media activity regarding George Floyd.

In his investigative piece, Schiesel revealed that Verizon and Riot had scheduled their partnership announcement for Thursday morning, but when telecommunications executives learned about Johnson’s post, they delayed the revelation. Verizon explicitly communicated they would not advance with the collaboration until Riot satisfactorily resolved the Johnson controversy. Late Thursday evening, a Riot official confirmed to Schiesel that Johnson’s employment had been terminated.

Verizon plans to announce a deal with
@LeagueOfLegends
publisher
@RiotGames
today, but only after Riot dealt with an executive who posted about George Floyd.

My latest exclusive for
@protocol:
https://t.co/n0N2V9HHHd

— Seth Schiesel (@SethSchiesel)
June 12, 2020

Riot executive Ron Johnson makes questionable Facebook post

The catalyst for this corporate crisis emerged from a Facebook publication by Johnson where he distributed an image detailing George Floyd’s criminal background, challenging the narrative of Floyd’s martyrdom. This rhetorical approach has been weaponized by certain groups attempting to undermine the Black Lives Matter movement, though demands to reallocate police funding typically address broader systemic issues beyond this single incident. The Floyd case served as a critical turning point for numerous individuals domestically and internationally, who perceive this as merely the most recent instance of law enforcement employing disproportionate force against minority populations.

Although Johnson accompanied the inflammatory “meme” with statements indicating he didn’t approve of Floyd’s killing by police, he simultaneously exploited the platform to assault the deceased victim’s personal character.

“[This circumstance] presents an educational moment for individuals (and your children) to demonstrate that engagement in criminal activities invariably leads to negative outcomes for both participants and their associates,” Johnson expressed in his social media commentary.

“When authorities killed him, he was under the influence of methamphetamine preparing to operate a vehicle and potentially endanger your children,” stated the visual content accompanying Johnson’s controversial post.

Riot’s problematic history in the gaming industry

While Riot responded rapidly to this particular situation, the urgency likely stemmed from their desire to finalize the Verizon business arrangement. When investigative reports exposed the game developer’s hostile work environment, including senior staff members who subjected female colleagues to sexual harassment and demeaning treatment, Riot demonstrated considerable reluctance to issue public statements or implement corrective measures.

As additional women shared accounts of gender-based harassment and discrimination, including instances of being systematically denied career advancement opportunities, Riot refrained from dismissing employees engaged in sexist conduct. Instead, these individuals received diversity awareness instruction.

Ultimately, Riot resolved a gender discrimination legal action, disbursing $10 million to female staff members who had received inferior compensation compared to male colleagues over multiple years.

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