Veteran pro player Josiah ‘Slacked’ Berry has officially joined the Call of Duty League’s Florida Mutineers for the 2021 season, solidifying a roster that had a gaping hole following the recent sudden passing of Maurice ‘Fero’ Henriquez.
With the CDL’s second-ever season just around the corner, most of the teams already have a set starting lineup and substitutes in place for the upcoming campaign, with the Mutineers being one of the very few who hadn’t.
The death of Fero certainly made their roster situation even more complicated, after two of last year’s starters – Frosty and Maux – had already departed the organization. Needing to fill the void, Florida have turned to Slacked, who was a free agent following his lone season with the Seattle Surge in 2020.
“I’ll be joining the Mutineers ahead of the 2021 season,” the veteran tweeted. “I know I’ve got some big shoes to fill, I will do my absolute best to make Ferocitys and the Florida fans proud. I’m thankful for the opportunity to join the squad an ready to work my a** off for this season.”
Florida Mutineers 2020 starting roster
- Cesar ‘Skyz’ Bueno
- Cold ‘Havok’ McLendon
- Joseph ‘Owakening’ Conley
- Josiah ‘Slacked‘ Berry
- Ricky ‘Atura’ Lugo (coach)
Ready for a new war.@CesarSkyz | @ColtHavok | @Owakening | @Slacked | @RickyAtura @f3rocitys your spirit lives on with the Mutineers. #F3arTheDeep pic.twitter.com/NtiEYp4LXW
— Miami Heretics (@MiamiHeretics) December 7, 2020
Slacked entered free agency way back on September 4 after a disastrous season with the Surge where hardly anything went right; the team heavily underperformed and had very few positive results, despite featuring players with plenty of championship experience.
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After struggling to find a spot on a pro roster, the longtime competitor has joined a team that was one of the best in the CDL’s inaugural season. Mutineers were one of only two teams to win three Home Series tournaments in the inaugural season alongside Dallas Empire. The emergence of Skyz as an MVP-caliber player also has many rating the Mutineers as a side worth keeping an eye on in 2021, despite them falling short of expectations in the Playoffs.
As he alluded to in his tweet, Slacked will have to fill the shoes of Fero, who established himself as one of the league’s more dynamic players. While maybe not considered a superstar, the former Luminosity standout brings a veteran presence, years of competitive experience, and game-changing potential to a fairly young lineup that could look to him for leadership.
That’s not the only good news Florida announced on December 7; their highly thought-of head coach, Atura, revealed that he will be returning for another season as well: “It’s been an honor to coach this team and I’m excited to announce I’ll return as the Head Coach for the 2021 CDL season. This season’s for you F3.”
Now that the Mutineers have their roster situation figured out and secured the return of their bonafide star coach, things are looking up again in Florida.
Catch up on all of the offseason roster moves and player signings with our CDL 2021 Rostermania hub.