In a somewhat surprising move, the Minnesota ROKKR have signed amateur player Kevin “Fame” Bonanno as a substitute player for the remainder of the 2022 season. Fame is coming off an incredible performance at the recent Boston Challengers Open. A former Collegiate COD player, Fame led Electrify Steel to the tournament’s grand finals, where they fell to Toronto Ultra Academy NA. Despite the defeat, Minnesota feels strongly enough in Fame’s ability to sign him as a substitute for at least Major IV. Fame joins the team in New York for this weekend’s major event. It’s doubtful Fame will see action, but he does fill a void on the ROKKR’s roster — they didn’t have a substitute player prior to this move.
Fame could also find himself on a CDL Champs contending roster in a couple of weeks; Minnesota is on the verge of cinching their spot in the Champs bracket. However, they’re out of the top eight for now and need a solid Major IV run to even compete at Champs. It’s unclear exactly how long Fame is signed to Minnesota; it’s equally unclear whether or not he could contend for a starting roster spot on Minnesota for the 2023 season.
In the announcement video for Fame’s signing, ROKKR coaches Saintt and Loony spoke about why they signed Fame. “We wanted to make sure that no matter what happens with someone getting sick or being unable to play, with how much is on the line, we felt it would be really good to get Fame due to how flexible he is as a player — and how well he’s been performing,” Saintt explained.
Reinforcements come to join us ahead of Major IV.
We are excited to bring in @Fame_mK2 as a substitute player going into the tail end of the season. pic.twitter.com/OoUAv9P5lI
— Minnesota RØKKR (@ROKKR) July 14, 2022
Loony continued, saying that it was “an easy pick up for us” based on Fame’s performance last season; Fame’s ability to use both an AR and SMG also played a role in his signing. As of right now, the plan isn’t for Fame to play any matches. However, in today’s world, the ROKKR wants to take every precaution to ensure they’re prepared for any circumstance. In Fame, they’re getting one of the top Challengers players of 2022 and someone that could make a real impact next season, all in one package.
