Gismo Announces Mental Health Break From London Royal Ravens Roster
London Royal Ravens dipped into their home-grown talent this year, having underwhelmed during the Black Ops Cold War era, opting to bring through the youth rather than look towards some veterans of the scene that were hungry for another shot in the Call of Duty League.
Snubbing previous players such as the Marshall brothers (Matthew "Skrapz" and Bradley "Wuskin"), the Ravens looked towards fresh faces such as Byron Plumridge and Joey Owen to compliment BOCW stand-out performer Marcus "Afro" Reid and established SMG main Trei "Zer0" Morris (who couldn't feature last year due to visa woes).
However, after a stunning start to the season and a bronze medal at Major 1, the Ravens are set to be without their star man Gismo for the foreseeable future, as the Briton has returned home to focus on his mental health.
Gismo Returns Home Amid Mental Health Issues
Gismo, who has been arguably London's best player and one of the league's best Assault Rifle players, sat out of some Major 2 qualifying fixtures, despite the Ravens' success weeks prior, allowing Paul "PaulEhx" Avila to stand in.
Now, he's confirmed that he will be heading back to the United Kingdom from London's American-based complex, taking to social media to cite his mental health as the reason.
"As much as I LOVE competing my mental health has gotta come first, so I’ll be returning home to deal with personal issues," Gismo tweeted. "I appreciate all the love and support. Remember, 'Health before wealth'," he added.
The exact reasoning remains personal to the 20-year-old phenomenon.
London Royal Ravens Promote Harry To Starting Roster
Gismo's departure will now see Harry "Harry" Payne move to their starting roster as the main AR player, after spending time out on loan for Toronto Ultra Academy EU; Harry and the Ultra roster did qualify for the upcoming Pro-Am, with the young home-grown player proving quite an attractive prospect for the Ravens.
Ahead of the move, Gismo did share a moment of appreciation for his successive AR player, posting a picture of the metaphorical passing of the baton, where the two posed with a Ravens jersey.
Harry will be thrown straight into action as London prepare to take on the amateur roster Team WaR in the Pro-AM, before targeting Los Angeles Thieves and New York Subliners in a bid to make the playoffs.
Gismo will continue to compete in Call of Duty though, and will be playing at a local event in Sheffield, UK, for Katana Gaming, upon his return home.