H3CZ denies reports he stopped paying OpTic players following NRG CDL split

OpTic Gaming owner Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez has slammed claims that he stopped paying OpTic Chicago Call of Duty League players amid the org’s split from NRG Esports.

In May 2021, it was first reported that H3CZ was looking to divest from NRG and become the sole owner of OpTic Chicago, after they had joined together in September 2019.

Before long, reports started to surface that Dallas Empire and Envy were in talks to buy OpTic, with OpTic and NRG having been “at odds” for over a year.

In the initial report, it was also said that the CDL had approved a deal for H3CZ to oversee the payroll and operational costs of OpTic. The story claimed that “ultimately, he could not pay those costs and NRG stepped back in and funded the team.”

Six months after the initial reports, H3CZ has now responded to claims that he didn’t pay the OpTic players, saying they “did hurt a little.”

While discussing all of the reports and leaks in recent months surrounding the announced OpTic x Envy merger on ‘The Eavesdrop’ podcast with OpTic Creative Director Davis ‘Hitch’ Edwards, the pair addressed these stories head-on. While H3CZ said the reports hurt, Hitch gave a more frank view of the situation.

“Imagine you not paying Seth [Scump] and him just being like, ‘okay’,” Hitch said. “You didn’t pay players and people found out about it through an internet article? Give me a f**king break.”

(Timestamp 15:37 for mobile viewers)

Evidently, both H3CZ and Hitch deny the reports, scoffing at the idea of their star-studded CDL lineup not getting paid.

Regardless, H3CZ seems delighted with the new Envy merger, and player pay has not been addressed as a problem outside of the original report.

With OpTic Texas set for the CDL 2022 season, they’re looking to put all of these issues behind them and shoot for the top.

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