Scump announces retirement from competitive CoD
YouTuber Seth “Scump” Abner has announced his retirement from competitive Call of Duty following his long career with OpTic Gaming.
Scump revealed his intention to retire last year on October 28 and said that the 2023 Call of Duty League in December would be his final competition. However, plans have changed, and Scump decided to retire in advance to become a full-time content creator.
His retirement in mid-season was a surprise to his teammates, prompting Scump to open up about how he had recently experienced some struggles.
During his time as a professional player, Scump experienced three role changes in a few short weeks in 2022. Professionals like Chris “Simp” Lehr, Dylan “Envoy” Hannon and Kenneth “Kenny” Williams acknowledge Scump as one of the best players in the Call of Duty League.
Scump’s retirement from professional play gathered support from some of the biggest streamers within the eSport. Many consider him comparable to several well-known streamers like Herschel Beahm IV (Dr DisRespect), Timothy John Betar (TimTheTatMan) and former teammate Tyler “TeePee” Polchow.
Moving forward, Scump said Brandon “Dashy” Otell would replace his position on OpTic Texas’ starting roster.
Scump’s esports career
Scump had been competing since the very first days of CoD esports, having won 31 major tournaments throughout over 14 years of his professional career. He had played for OpTic Gaming since the Black Ops II season in 2012.
He won his first LAN at MLG Dallas 2011 alongside former teammates Patrick “ACHES” Price and TeePee. After that, Scump won a World Championship in 2017, took part in 25 Grand Finals and earned 18 trophies. By the time of his retirement, his YouTube channel had 2.66 million subscribers, while his Twitter handle had 2.2 million followers.
Scump said he would still be involved in the CDL, attending events and meeting people.
Issues among players within OpTic
Over the past few weeks during the off-season, some internal issues were brewing within OpTic. Before being promoted to the starting roster replacing Scump, Dashy was dropped from the lineup. Scump and OpTic coach Raymond “Rambo” Lussier said that Dashy had an attitude problem.
“There were problems… That’s why I wanted Ray to say it’s not performance-based, because it’s not performance-based, at all,” Scump said.
Dashy was rumored to receive offers from other teams, but following Scump’s retirement, he returned to the OpTic lineup. In his retirement announcement, Scump took time to address Dashy about his new opportunity, saying he would be commenting on his performance and pressuring him.
“Bringing Brandon back made sense. Life’s too short to hold grudges or be mad at each other, and I hope he uses this opportunity to be a good teammate,” Scump said of Dashy.
“Please use this opportunity well ’cause again, I’m falling down, so you can go up … I hope that you use this right.
Part of the issue can also be attributed to the team’s disappointing finish in the Vanguard season. OpTic lost to the Seattle Surge in the third round of the 2022 CLD Championships.
