Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez, the owner of OpTic Gaming, has slammed claims that he stopped paying OpTic Chicago Call of Duty League players following the organization’s split from NRG Esports.
After joining forces in September 2019, it was first reported in May 2021 that H3CZ was looking to divest from NRG and become the sole owner of OpTic Chicago.
Soon after, reports surfaced that Dallas Empire and Envy were in talks to purchase OpTic, despite the fact that OpTic and NRG had been “at odds” for over a year.
The CDL had approved a deal for H3CZ to oversee OpTic’s payroll and operational costs, according to the initial report. He could not pay those said costs, and NRG just stepped back in and funded the team.
H3CZ has responded to claims that he did not pay the OpTic players six months after the initial reports, saying they “did hurt a little.”
On the ‘The Eavesdrop’ podcast, OpTic Creative Director Davis ‘Hitch’ Edwards and I addressed the recent reports and leaks surrounding the announced OpTic x Envy merger head-on. While H3CZ stated that the reports were hurtful, Hitch offered a more candid assessment of the situation.
Both H3CZ and Hitch appear to deny the reports regarding the idea of their star-studded CDL lineup going unpaid.
Regardless appears to be pleased with the new Envy merger, and player pay has not been mentioned outside of the original report as a problem. OpTic Texas is gearing up for the CDL 2022 season, and they’re hoping to put all of their problems behind them and reach the top.
