ENVY has terminated the contract of promising VALORANT player Alex “Canezerra” Banyasz following a 12-month hardware ban from Riot Games for multiple Terms of Service violations.

The organization’s hands were tied by the scope of the ban, which prohibits Canezerra from playing, competing, streaming, or engaging in any promotional activity across all Riot titles.

ENVY had no choice but to end his contract

ENVY made clear in its statement that the termination was not by choice, but necessity.

The hardware ban, one of Riot’s most severe disciplinary actions, left the organization with no path forward for the 17-year-old duelist who was set to become VCT-eligible when he turned 18 in June.

“We have been informed that Canezerra has received a 12-month hardware ban from Riot Games,” ENVY stated. “After a careful review of Canezerra’s behavior while playing Riot’s games, they found multiple violations of their Terms of Service. This was not a ban for cheating. This break of their Terms of Service comes with penalties that impact his ability to be on the ENVY roster.”

pic.twitter.com/xFURyBKR9v

— ENVY (@Envy) April 16, 2026

The organization emphasized the scope of the ban: “The scope of the ban prohibits him from playing, competing, streaming, or engaging in any promotional activity across all Riot titles. As a result, his contract with ENVY has been terminated, effective immediately.”

Rising star’s fall from grace

Canezerra had been one of the most exciting young talents in North American VALORANT. He joined RANKERS in 2024 alongside ex-100 Thieves player Inspire, P0PPIN, ion2x, and Eggsterr. The roster was later acquired by ENVY in March 2025 as part of the organization’s return to competitive VALORANT after nearly four years away from the title.

The team went on to win Ascension Americas 2025, earning a coveted spot in VCT Americas 2026 by defeating rivals TSM back-to-back. Canezerra showed strong performances across the Ascension run, dropping over 20 kills on five occasions during the playoff run.

However, being under 18, Canezerra was ineligible to compete for ENVY in VCT and remained on the bench waiting for his moment. That moment may never come.

While Riot has not publicly detailed the specific violations, Canezerra’s own apology statement acknowledged serious misconduct.

“I made a serious mistake and said things I deeply regret. There’s no excuse for it,” Canezerra stated. “I’m really sorry to my fans, Envy, Riot, and everyone who supports me — I’ve let you down.”

I made a serious mistake and said things I deeply regret. There’s no excuse for it.

I’m really sorry to my fans, Envy, Riot, and everyone who supports me — I’ve let you down.

Ever since I started playing this game, I’ve wanted to be the best. For the past five years I’ve put in…

— canezerra (@canezerra) April 16, 2026

The player has allegedly said something racist in-game, something that’s rather sensitive in American culture when not used by people of that race.

Reactions and consequences at the top

Community discussions suggest the violations involved racist language and inappropriate comments. The severity of Riot’s response — a full hardware ban rather than a standard account suspension — indicates the behavior was extreme or repeated.

It’s a sign Riot wants players to be top of their class in-game skills and personalities. Racism is a serious issue, and it cannot be tolerated in a game with as high a profile as Riot is now, alongside its multinational and racially diverse playerbase.

Fan reaction has been divided on Canezerra’s behavior, with some sympathizing with him as a young player while others argue professional players should be held to higher standards. However, most fans recognize that ENVY had no choice in the matter. With a hardware ban preventing Canezerra from any Riot-related activity, there was simply no way to keep him on the roster.

Canezerra will be banned from all Riot titles until April 17th, 2027. He stated his intention to use the time to grow and “come back the right way.”

It’s not the first time Riot has banned players for discrimination. That’s how IShowSpeed went viral originally through his misogynistic video from VALORANT. Riot also has a history of implementing punishment for racism, even as far back as 2014, when punishing the SK jungler, Svenskeren, for a derogatory name. Just an example off the top of my head.