Flame out as General Manager of the Houston Outlaws
Announced as of today, tenured general manager for the Houston Outlaws, Matt "flame" Rodriguez, has parted ways with the organization.
Penning a straight to the point tweet on his personal Twitter, flame appeared blindsided from the decision.
With the number of homestands canceled and with Houston on a 4-week break, this gives the Outlaws time to rebuild their management before games are set to resume.
“Regardless of whatever vitriol I subject myself to reading on social this week I just want everyone to know I left it all on the table and put my soul into making the brand as successful as possible,” flame wrote. “I have no regrets and 5 jobs worth of experience rolled into 3 years of chaos.”
In a follow-up post, flame continued to update on what was on the horizon for his career. “Now to get my health, life, and relationship with my dog back to where it needs to be,” flame wrote. “I'm probably gonna take some time to myself but I don't have an off switch. Let's make some content and explore some new avenues in esports. I really do wish the best for the players [and] fans”
Veteran support player for the Outlaws, Shane "Rawkus" Flaherty, came to flame’s defense in his own Twitter post. “[This] is honestly incredibly sad,” Rawkus said. “[He] constantly put himself out there to protect the players’ image publicly which directly resulted in him taking most if not all the blame for any problems we had. 2 half/years you've been great to us, I'm sad, but I know I'll see you around.”
One of the original members of the Outlaws brand, flame was integral in both building the roster and being the public face for both interviews and public scrutiny. Quickly after flame announced his departure, Facilities and Operations Manager, Adam "MESR" De La Torre also revealed that he has subsequently quit the Outlaws.
During the inaugural Overwatch League season, the Houston Outlaws finished 7th with a 22-18 map record. Their 2019 season performance suffered as they plummeted and finished 16th with a 9-19 match record. However, while their 2020 season started off slow, as of Week 4 the Houston Outlaws are 2-1 with decisive victories over the Toronto Defiant and the Paris Eternal.
Image via Blizzard Entertainment