The LA Thieves have formally announced the release of three of their players from the 2021 Call of Duty League season. TJ “TJHaLy” Haly, Johnathan “John” Perez and Carlos “Venom” Hernandez are the first LA Thieves roster members to become free agents. This was an expected move, as LA had far too many players on their roster and some players already announced their free agency.
What fans didn’t expect is the Thieves keeping some key players, for now. Currently, it seems the organization is hanging onto Cuyler “Huke” Garland. Many in the community expected the Thieves to go a different direction for 2022, but that doesn’t appear to be the case as of yet.
LA Thieves drop four players from their roster
2021 was a strange inaugural year for the LA Thieves. The team made eight roster changes throughout the season, which is a new CDL record. None of the rosters seemed to mesh, however, leading to LA only winning just over $100,000 in prize money during the 2021 season.
Thank you to @John287, @TJHaLy & @Vxnxm for being a part of our organization during the 2021 season.
We wish you all the best in your competitive careers moving forward. pic.twitter.com/w4zCpKHYXJ
— LA Thieves (@LAThieves) September 1, 2021
Given the current players on the LA roster, which includes Kenny “Kenny” Williams and Zack “Drazah” Jordan along with SlasheR and Huke, it was a longshot for TJ, John or Venom to make the starting roster in 2022. Their release allows them to explore any and all options as unrestricted free agents. As of the time of writing, there are no indications as to where they could end up. Each flashed some potential in 2021, though, so it’s plausible they could join a starting roster next season.
In regards to Huke, it’s unclear what the LA Thieves plan to do. Kenny, and Drazah, will likely return for 2022. The same can’t be said for SlasheR and Huke. Figureheads in the community, like The Flank host Tommy “ZooMaa” Paparatto, have even guessed possible landing spots for both players. While this isn’t anything official, it gives credence to the rumor that neither are expected back on the Thieves next season.
At the time of writing, after the initial announcement, the LA Thieves also announced that they are releasing Austin “SlasheR” Liddicoat. He is now an unrestricted free agent.
It’s unclear what LA has in store for the off-season. Releasing the four players today was the first domino to fall. The next is anyone’s guess at this point.
