CDL player denies Adderall usage after questionable on-stage interview
Call of Duty League star and former World Champion Indervir "iLLeY" Dhaliwal has publically refuted any claims that he was using Adderall in the recent CDL 23-24 Major 1, after his post-match interview aroused scepticism.
iLLeY, who operates on Seattle Surge, took to the stage after their victory against Carolina Royal Ravens and appeared to be extremely jittery, which led to the video of the said interview being circulated on social media.
However, he has now taken to social media to deny these claims, saying that the crowd made him nervous and he was on caffeine.
iLLeY denies Adderall usage: 'It was caffeine'
Following his interview on Saturday, fans took to social media to address their concerns over iLLeY, with many claiming this was due to Adderall usage and that he needed to go to "rehab".
But following the viral clip, iLLeY took to social media to deny this, blaming caffeine and the hostile crowd.
"I just opened Twitter and you guys are comedy, I was on caffeine and the fans were screaming," he said.
In his watch party, Seth "Scump" Abner also said, "It's probably so hard to concentrate when you're just getting booed like that," defending his ex-teammate.
Adderall usage in Call of Duty is a problem
Click to enlargeAdderall usage has been quite a prominent problem in Call of Duty, with the reaction-fastening pharmaceutical drug often being used to calm nerves, enhance concentration, and gain a competitive edge over non-users.
The drug was first highlighted properly back in 2020 when former World Champion Adam "KiLLa" Sloss told The Washington Post that he backed away from competitive Call of Duty because he couldn't keep up with the players using it.
"The Adderall abuse was too much to keep up with," he said, adding, "Nobody talks about it because everyone is on it."
Since, iLLeY's current teammate (and former teammate on three separate orgs with Dallas Empire, OpTic Chicago, and now Seattle Surge) Cuyler "Huke" Garland opened up about abusing the prescription drug for events as he took a step back from the Call of Duty League in 2021 before returning the following season.
The substance is supposed to be banned in the CDL, and following Huke's openness, the League was called upon for tighter monitoring and testing for like-minded performance-enhancing drugs.
Although iLLeY has denied using Adderall, maybe the CDL also has to look into caffeine now too in order to protect its players.
