After days of speculation amid being replaced in the OpTic Texas lineup, Pred confirmed he has been dropped from the team and is now a free agent.
Pred finally addressed the situation in an early morning stream on Dec. 16, saying that he has went back home to Australia in an attempt to improve his mental health. Unfortunately, clips from the stream are muted, but several viewers recapped what he had to say. Once again, the star player did not go into details about his situation, but addressed gambling rumors by saying that he did not gamble on Call of Duty League matches, and his issues stem from personal problems.
Last week on Dec. 12, rumors circulated about Pred being replaced by former OpTic star Huke. The move was announced later in the day with little mention of Pred whatsoever. He also was scarcely mentioned throughout OpTic’s matches this past weekend, with the focus on Huke instead.
After the stream, Pred posted on Twitter/X to thank fans for support, reiterating his need to work on his own mental health, which he said was affecting his competition, practice, and personal relationships.
“I appreciate all the support and love everyone is showing me, words can’t explain how much that all means to me,” he said. “As you guys are now aware of the situation I am currently dealing with, I will be stepping away and handling my personal issues to fix my mental health. Go cheer the boys on and I’ll be rooting for them. A minor setback for a major comeback.”
While Pred looks towards his own personal future and whatever it may bring, Huke and OpTic Texas currently hold a 3-1 record in the CDL’s Major One qualifiers as the league now breaks for the holidays. It will return for action on Jan. 17.
