Call of Duty professional player iLLeY has been removed from the Seattle Surge starting lineup following drug abuse accusations.
Former World Champion iLLeY recently came under fire in the CoD community after his performance at the first Major event. While iLLeY performed above expectations, landing Seattle Surge a top-six finish, fans were concerned with his attitude.
During a post-game interview after a match win, iLLeY kept looking at the ground, moving erratically, and running together his sentences, which seemed out of the ordinary among those in the community.
Another clip had also surfaced among the accusations that iLLeY was abusing some form of drugs. This clip was a close-up of his camera during the match, where he had wide eyes and looked back and forth in a strange motion.
— SVPRVILLAIN (@HurricaneAbe_) January 28, 2024
Since these accusations arose, iLLeY has addressed them by saying that he was simply on a lot of caffeine and that the crowd was too loud to concentrate during the interview. However, he has now been removed from the team.
Seattle Surge remove iLLeY, add Challengers player
After multiple rumors revealed that iLLeY would not return to the Seattle Surge, the team officially announced on February 9 that former Challengers player Breszy would be joining the team. Breszy previously played with Abuzah, another Seattle Surge player that was picked up during the off season.
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I’m so grateful for this opportunity, I know we don't have much time before our first games, but I've been so hungry all these years. I'm going to give everything for this team and it’s fans. #DrownThemOut https://t.co/aMxySIL6Gc
— Surge Breszy (@Breszy) February 9, 2024
“I’m so grateful for this opportunity,” said Breszy. “I know we don’t have much time before our first games, but I’ve been so hungry all these years. I’m going to give everything for this team and its fans.”
Commenters beneath the announcement were quick to discuss the topic of iLLeY. Especially considering that he had the best performance out of the team throughout the Major 1 run.
“Exciting to see,” said one user. “I hope whatever is going with Inder gets better, obviously not a gameplay issue.”
iLLeY has not commented on the situation with the Seattle Surge or what his next moves will look like. Despite adding a new player, the organization has also made no clarifying statements regarding iLLeY’s position on the team.