Former Toronto Ultra player Brack responded today to the organization’s statement addressing recent claims made against the Call of Duty team. The claims state the organization failed to pay the player while he returned home for a family emergency, although the organization denied any wrongdoing.
Brack provided a doctor’s note in his post today, which stated he should not travel for two weeks. But this was not enough for Toronto to pay him while still at home, according to the Call of Duty pro.
Earlier this week, professional Call of Duty player Crimsix posted a clip from a Toronto-based podcast that criticized former Toronto player Loony. The hosts claimed Loony did not do enough to remain on the team and should not have been signed by the Seattle Surge. Crimsix defended Loony and claimed Toronto mistreated its roster during the inaugural Call of Duty League season.
Crimsix said the full roster was forced to stay in Toronto during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite there not being a contractual obligation for them to do so. In addition, Toronto supposedly did not want to allow Brack, a former substitute player for the Ultra, to return home for his grandfather’s open-heart surgery. The organization claimed to hear this “excuse” before from another professional player, but ultimately let him return home.
Brack responded, saying he was never paid for the time he spent at home and that his career was severely impacted by spending a year on the bench in Toronto. The organization responded earlier today and claimed the allegations “simply do not align with the facts known to us.”
Toronto allegedly allowed Brack to return home while paying him a full salary despite that they had “no contractual or obligation to do so.” The organization said that Brack became ill during his time at home and that it gave Brack a generous amount of time for him to provide medical proof of his illness.
The organization also learned that Brack cleared out his living space before returning home, “indicating…that he never intended to return to his work duties in the first place,” the team said. This prompted Toronto to discontinue Brack’s salary as he showed an “unwillingness to cooperate,” and the organization already paid a “significant amount” of “compassionate leave.”
Brack responded to Toronto’s statement today explaining his return home and the subsequent suspension of his salary.
After returning home to see his grandfather, Brack contracted a staph infection in his nose, and his doctor recommended not to travel for 14 days. Brack said he provided the doctor’s note to Toronto within 24 hours of receiving it, but the organization allegedly did not believe him and tried to force him to return. Brack claims not to have been paid during this time despite providing an excuse from a medical professional.
Brack also elaborated on his living situation and why he cleared out his apartment before returning home. There was only one month left in the season, and it was easier for Brack and his girlfriend to move things out when he returned home instead of coming back and doing it himself, according to the pro. He claims to have told Toronto about this ahead of time and always planned to return to Toronto. Brack said he did not receive pay despite planning on coming back and being willing to scrim and participate in any media duties from home.
It is unclear if any other parties will further elaborate on this situation. Toronto has stood by its decisions, and Brack is no longer a part of its Call of Duty roster.
