neT Blasts “Unprofessional” Cloud9 Over Feedback About Him After Benching

Benched Cloud9 Valorant star Michael “neT” Bernet has hit out at his former Cloud9 teammates over feedback made about him and his alternative in a podcast.

North American group Cloud9 just lately introduced modifications to its Valorant roster, signing Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro and Erik “penny” Penny, transferring neT and Mitchell “mitch” Semago out of the beginning lineup. 

Nonetheless, drama sparked when neT known as out the crew for utilizing his identify “in a detrimental gentle for content material,” after Cloud9’s podcast framed his benching as an “improve” and that the brand new lineup could be extra “secure” and “constant.”

Following the brand new crew’s announcement, Cloud9 launched a podcast video on YouTube, the place the 2 new additions and coach Ian “Immi” Harding sat down to speak. Immi was unusually direct on the present.

Within the first two minutes of the podcast, Immi didn’t shrink back from calling the transfer an “improve.”

“We completed our season, and we knew we wished to have an improve for Michael [neT]. That was the primary factor.”

Deeper into the video, the coach continued with feedback that rubbed neT the flawed means. Immi talked about the crew wished to usher in gamers that have been extra “secure” and “constant,” implying that neT lacked these qualities.

“For me, each crew doubtlessly has a participant who’s subsequent, like that’s simply pure. It simply is. There’s at all times that participant who’s missing. And I really feel like with this new crew, with [Zellsis] and [penny] coming in, I don’t see that wherever. I really feel like everyone seems to be secure, psychological. 

“And that was an enormous factor as effectively with changing neT. I wanted somebody who was secure and constant in each facet, and penny is only a constant particular person and a constant participant. In order that was actually essential.”

Although Immi’s intention might need been to hype up his new gamers on the crew, neT believed such phrasing got here off as dismissive.

neT Responds: “Tremendous Unprofessional and Improper”

Shortly after the podcast was launched, neT himself took to social media to specific disappointment in how the group dealt with the scenario. Though there have been no direct assaults on him, he felt blindsided by how the crew framed his benching, given the content material launched to the general public. 

It’s price noting that neT is actively on the lookout for a brand new crew for the upcoming 2026 VCT season, and such feedback from a former coach may negatively affect his worth. Groups might second-guess their selections on selecting him up due to how he was portrayed by his former crew. 

As of now, the Valorant group is producing combined reactions. Some followers really feel for neT, agreeing that among the feedback have been pointless.

Nonetheless, others identified that neT had been one of many weaker members on the roster and that it will be illogical for the crew’s coach to downplay his new gamers.