If you get paid to play video games for a living, it is probably not a good idea to engage in activities that could get you kicked from the game, and League of Legends player Yu “XiaoWeiXiao” Xian has learned that lesson firsthand.

Xian, who plays mid lane for Team Impulse, has been suspended from the game by Riot Games for accepting money in return for ELO boosting other players, meaning he leveled up other player’s accounts in the game’s ranking system. It’s the video game equivalent of paying a pro baseball player to join your office softball team.

According to a report by The Daily Dot, Xian was suspended after admitting that he took part in an ELO boosting scheme.

“We have spoken with XiaoWeiXiao regarding ELO boosting allegations,” Riot Games’ esports manager Hunter Leigh said on Twitter. “He has confirmed misconduct and is suspended pending investigation.”

Apparently Xian’s services do not come cheap, as a leaked text conversation revealed that he was negotiating to boost another player’s account for roughly $1400 USD. After some haggling, he settled for the modest sum of $1300.

The PayPal account Xian gave to the player for payment is linked to an email and Skype account used by Team Impulse manager Alex Gu, but while Xian admitted to participating in the boosting, there has been no confirmation yet on whether Gu was also involved.

The Esports racket

As the esports industry continues to grow in size and value, more and more players are becoming embroiled in misconduct controversies. For example, the Electronic Sports League announced a new drug testing policy today after a pro Counter Strike: Global Offensive player recently admitted that he, like many players, uses the prescription stimulant Adderall during tournaments.

There have been other players banned from professional matches over the last year for various other forms of misconduct, including match fixing, cheating, gambling, and, in one case, extortion.

While Riot has spent a lot of time and effort trying to fight player toxicity on its public servers, the studio has faced a growing problem with misconduct from professional players. Since Riot prefers a policy of rehabilitation rather than permanent punishment, it seems unlikely that Xian will be banned from the game indefinitely. He could, however, receive a multi-game suspension or be suspended for the rest of the season or longer.

Image credit: @TiP_Xiaoweixiao via Twitter