Why Bleed’s yay is taking a break from Valorant esports

Pro play in any game can be daunting, and Valorant player Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker is taking a short break from playing for Bleed Esports. 

Sponsor Bleed Esports announced through social media that star fragger yay would be taking a break from competitive Valorant due to his health. The organization says that it supports him and looks forward to his return. The news follows Bleed falling out of the Valorant Champions Tour Pacific in last place. With that loss, the teams failed to clinch a spot at Masters Shanghai. 

While yay once ranked among the best Valorant players, he’s struggled to find his place on a team since his days with OpTic Gaming. This has led to frequent criticism from the community, which could play a role in his decision.

Why is yay taking a break from Valorant?

The official statement from Bleed Esports mentions yay’s health, and there are reasons to believe the break could be related to his mental state. 

Yay has been the target of cyberbullying ever since he joined Bleed last September, as many fans blamed him for the team losing other players and his alleged salary. While the pro player has many fans supporting him, he has bounced around esports organizations since 2022 and struggled to reach the same level of success. In a community-charged esport like Valorant, that record has caused many to spew hate online. 

On the other hand, yay’s break could stem from eye problems. Earlier this year, the player took to social media to publicize the problem. 

This led to speculation that yay is preparing for Lasik eye surgery or a similar procedure. If so, yay will likely inform fans about his health status as things progress. If the break is more for mental health reasons, expect silence until he is ready to return.

Who does yay play in Valorant?

Yay fills the role of a Duelist for BLEED, recently playing Raze and Jett most of the time. However, that hasn’t always been his role. He played Sentinels like Chamber and Sage when he was with Cloud9 and OpTic Gaming, which is where he saw most of his early success. yay has played every role in the game throughout his professional career, and it’s unclear what he’ll play when he returns.

There was no timeline for when he’ll come back to the game, but it’s clear that Bleed plans to welcome him back with open arms.