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

North American organization Cloud9 recently announced changes to its Valorant roster, signing Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro and Erik “penny” Penny, moving neT and Mitchell “mitch” Semago out of the starting lineup. 

However, drama sparked when neT called out the team for using his name “in a negative light for content,” after Cloud9’s podcast framed his benching as an “upgrade” and that the new lineup would be more “stable” and “consistent.”

Coach Immi’s Comments that Lit the Fuse

Following the new team’s announcement, Cloud9 released a podcast video on YouTube, where the two new additions and coach Ian “Immi” Harding sat down to talk. Immi was unusually direct on the show.

In the first two minutes of the podcast, Immi didn’t shy away from calling the move an “upgrade.”

“We finished our season, and we knew we wanted to have an upgrade for Michael [neT]. That was the main thing.”

Deeper into the video, the coach continued with comments that rubbed neT the wrong way. Immi mentioned the team wanted to bring in players that were more “stable” and “consistent,” implying that neT lacked those qualities.

“For me, every team potentially has a player who’s next, like that’s just natural. It just is. There’s always that player who’s lacking. And I feel like with this new team, with [Zellsis] and [penny] coming in, I don’t see that anywhere. I feel like everyone is stable, mental. 

“And that was a big thing as well with replacing neT. I needed someone who was stable and consistent in every aspect, and penny is just a consistent person and a consistent player. So that was really important.”

Though Immi’s intention might have been to hype up his new players on the team, neT believed such phrasing came off as dismissive.

neT Responds: “Super Unprofessional and Wrong”

Shortly after the podcast was released, neT himself took to social media to express disappointment in how the organization handled the situation. Although there were no direct attacks on him, he felt blindsided by how the team framed his benching, given the content released to the public. 

I've been nothing but cordial this whole time and I never said anything bad about the org or the situation as a whole, but to use my name in a negative light for content is super unprofessional and wrong. https://t.co/FH5rRM180G

— neT (@neT_valorant) October 30, 2025

It is worth noting that neT is actively looking for a new team for the upcoming 2026 VCT season, and such comments from a former coach could negatively impact his value. Teams may second-guess their decisions on picking him up because of how he was portrayed by his former team. 

As of now, the Valorant community is generating mixed reactions. Some fans feel for neT, agreeing that some of the comments were unnecessary.

However, others pointed out that neT had been one of the weaker members on the roster and that it would be illogical for the team’s coach to downplay his new players.