Australian Call of Duty star Amer ‘Pred’ Zulbeari has spoken out on his ongoing situation, following his removal from the OpTic Texas CDL roster amid a number of concerning rumors.
On December 11, news started to leak that Pred had been dropped from OpTic and was to be replaced by Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland – a rumor that proved to be true by December 13, as Huke played for the team that weekend.
Pred was not spoken about on broadcast, and Seth ‘Scump’ Abner and other OpTic creators declined to speak on Pred’s dismissal, simply citing “personal reasons.”
As rumors ran rampant about possible issues with Pred, it came out that he had headed home back to Australia under a cloud of mystery, with nobody really sure what to believe or whether his removal from the team was a permanent or temporary thing.
Pred then went live on Twitch in the early hours of December 16 to address what went on and his future with OpTic.
Addressing gambling rumors
Concerning the gambling rumors that have prevailed over the week since his removal from the team, Pred addressed them very briefly, stating that he never gambled on any Call of Duty League matches, including his own, but advised viewers to gamble responsibly if they do.
This came after screenshots were posted to social media of anonymous sources suggesting he was in serious gambling debt, and fans started to grow concerned that he may have been betting on COD matches, which is not allowed in any sport including the CDL.
OpTix Pred just confirmed he wasn’t match fixing or betting on his games (which is obvious. Everyone should have known) He keeps saying it’s been personal reasons and it has eroded his friendships with people and teammates and something happened that he doesn’t want to talk about pic.twitter.com/WnHVuFRaIM
— Chris (@KRNG_Chris) December 16, 2024
CDL return?
Pred explained that he has been battling mental health issues and was in denial for a long time, despite the OpTic organization trying to help him.
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He did, however, confirm that he was no longer on OpTic, stepping down entirely as it would be “unfair” on his replacement, as he works to improve his mental health over the coming weeks after it affected his ability to compete and relationships with friends and family. He also said there is no bad blood between himself and his former teammates or CEO Hector’ H3CZ’ Rodriguez.
He added that he is hoping to return after Major 1 at the start of February 2025, and it could be for any team, as he is now a free agent.
He also posted on social media, calling the situation “a minor setback for a major comeback”.
He also confirmed he is stepping away and handling his personal issues to fix his mental health.
I appreciate all the support and love everyone is showing me, words can’t explain how much that all means to me. 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… pic.twitter.com/lLvF2hbHtG
— Pred (@Pred) December 16, 2024
It’s evident that Pred has no intention of giving up now and wants to return to the Call of Duty League as soon as he feels he is in the position to do so.
It seems unlikely that would be for OpTic Texas given how the current situation has unfolded and his complete departure from the team, though only time can tell when and for who Pred would be able to return.