Better Investigation of Player Behavior
So, the Player Behavior team is punishing people for verbal abuse, that's fine, but I think that it leaves a way bigger problem unaddressed and in fact, makes it worse-- the problem of toxic behaviors outside of chat.
Often, but not always, chat rage is caused by something infinitely more toxic. I.E. Players who intentionally troll their teams starting from champ select and continuing throughout the game. This behavior baits other players into insulting them in chat, it's unpleasant, and hostile-- but it doesn't get punished and there is not even an option to report a teammate for trolling. For example, at champ select, a duo queue says they are going to throw the game, picks jungle teemo and revive teleport adc TF. Needless to say, I dodged the game, leaving me with a 15 minute timer for dodging and an LP loss. Meanwhile, I have no way of reporting their abusive behavior and they can keep harming other players.
Similarly, in one game I picked Kat and someone else wanted her, at the end, they reported me for verbal abuse, even though there wasn't verbal abuse. Since the system is all automated now, just the report alone is going to hurt me.
Finally, in other games trolls get a double victory, because they can troll players into a fit of rage, the players than rage at them, and then they get to weaponize the reporting system.
I think this is a big problem. I think that toxic behavior is way worse than any words that can be said, because it instigates the feelings behind those words and makes people unhappy enough to start raging. It just goes unpunished and its frustrating.
Even if it's just something small, there needs to be more actions taken on negative behavior. Even a quick sting operation, no process, no technology, just a few human beings playing the game or spectating and catching culprits in the act and immediately punishing them-- that would do a lot.