ben1337 stands up for FaNg: "Justin is a great player and I hope we can team again someday"
Party Astronauts, one of the best tier-two teams in North America, dramatically imploded on February 10th after the rifler Colby "Walco" Walsh and the coach Tommy "Axed" Ryan left the team.
Both Walco and Axed blamed Justin "FaNg" Coakley for the team's collapse. FaNg, on the other hand, said that Axed ruined Party Astronauts. While it seems like we'll never know the full story, the team's IGL Ben "ben1337" Smith fully backed FaNg.
ben1337 said in an initial statement to HLTV that Party Astronauts had "issues about the vision/play style" and they failed to solve them. The 26-year-old IGL also said he's shocked that the roster collapsed "like the snap of a finger".
After the story was published, ben1337 reached out to HLTV and asked them to include another statement, in which he praised FaNg for the time they spent together. ben1337 didn't address any of the concerns raised by Walco and Axed.
"Justin (FaNg) and I have spent the last 9 months together and I enjoyed my time with him," ben1337 told HLTV. "I’ve learned a lot from him as a player and got to know him on a personal level. He elevated my game and the team’s game. Justin is a great player and I hope we can team again someday."
Wesley "viz" Harris also commented on Party Astronauts' collapse, however he didn't mention anything about FaNg, Walco, or Axed. Bogdan "ogwizard" Savula is the only member of the team who has yet to weigh in on the discussion.
Party Astronauts immediately forfeited the Ace Masters Spring Closed Qualifier finals after Walco and Axed's departure and by all looks of it, the roster is dead.
They don't have any roster additions remaining in ESL Challenger League Season 49 North America and will probably have to forfeit the IEM Dallas 2025 Closed Qualifier as well.
