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This isn't the first time that Riot has banned professional-grade League players from its game for "toxic behavior." Back in 2012, the studio banned one player for a full year after he failed to improve his behavior despite repeated punishments including regular temporary suspensions.

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Still, the news is significant for League's many players and fans around the world, one seasoned player explained to me this morning, because it shows that Riot "is trying to prove that no one is immune from the rules" set down and enforced by the game's Tribunal System.

"If it can happen to one of their most public players, it can happen to anyone," he said. "Which is pretty awesome, considering how many gaming communities are like 'yeah, but boys will be boys' when it comes to shit like this."

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The punishment is reassuring, therefore, because it shows amateur League of Legends fans that professional players aren't treated with kid gloves by the tribunal because there's more money on the line.

Public figures are hard to come by, but professional eSports athletes usually make a living from a combination of sources including team salaries, brand sponsorships, and revenue pulled from their Twitch streams and YouTube videos. Cutting off a player's access to one or more of these sources doesn't just hurt him or her individually, it also limits the team's ability to remain competitive.

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"Teams have five people on them," my League-playing friend continued. "Members count on one another for their livelihood. Imagine if 20 [percent] of a sports team were banned from playing sports for life for cussing."

When Riot banned that professional League of Legends player back in 2012, the company said in a statement that "the decision to impact someone's career is not one we make lightly." But it's one the company is clearly willing to make all the same.

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To contact the author of this post, write to yannick.lejacq@kotaku.com or find him on Twitter at @YannickLeJacq.