UPDATED: dapr out of GX; set to be replaced by steel
Michael "dapr" Gulino has revealed via TwitLonger that he has been removed from the GX roster due to his former teammates having concerns that he was throwing matches that took place at the ESEA MDL S27 event, specifically citing the team's match against Rogue in ESL Pro League Relegation. The allegations are certain to raise eyebrows one way or another, especially given the history of certain members on the team.
All the more interesting is dapr's claim that his replacement in the team will be Josh "steel" Nissan, another former iBUYPOWER member. steel spent the last MDL season with his own team Torqued, which after posting an 8-8 record failed to reach playoffs.
Since returning from the event, the team's coach James "JamezIRL" MacCaulay has been conducting demo reviews on his stream, where he has made no secret that he thought something was amiss.
When approached for comment by Dust2.us, steel would not confirm the move, but said the following:
Whatever differences GX have with dapr is between them and I'm sure both sides have valid grievances. After a disappointing S26 MDL, I'm looking to make the best long-term CS career decision.
GX's roster now figures to be:
Braxton "swag" Pierce
Keven "AZK" Lariviere- Matt "Pollo" Wilson
- Shawn "witmer" Taylor
- Josh "steel" Nissan
- James "JamezIRL" Macaulay (Coach)
As it stands, the retooled GX will have a little over a week to prepare for the upcoming season of ESEA MDL with their new roster, as it is set to begin January 21st. If further information on this comes to light, we will be sure to update you!
UPDATE:
GX have released a team statement, which was posted by Matt "Pollo" Wilson on behalf of the team:
The team's assertion that the term "throwing" was used to describe "reckless and uninformed plays" was swiftly disputed by Rise Nation's Will "dazzLe" Loafman, who was also in attendance at the event:
By the same token, the team's gripes regarding dapr's behavior were corroborated by at least one former teammate, RONIN's Kyle "flowsicK" Mendez:
