Why doesn't Riot have a zero tolerance policy?
Rioters have always said that punishments require a visible trend of negative behaviors, and that "truly toxic" players are very few and far between, though a lot of toxic behavior comes from "neutral" players who have the occasional bad game.
Well, getting consecutive "neutral" players who are all having one-off bad games or attitudes makes it seem like everyone is toxic or negative.
So here's the real question, why is there not a zero-tolerance policy? Why does a trend have to be established?
Now I'm not saying one game of bad mouthing = 2 week ban, but why not a 3-game chat restriction or something? Something to tell the player "yo dude, chill out, calm it down, stop being a dick to people". It's a light punishment, moreso a warning, and gets the point across that their behavior is not acceptable.
Why isn't this the norm?