ZooMaa steps down from competitive Call of Duty due to hand injury

Thomas “ZooMaa” Paparatto has announced he’s stepping back from competitive Call of Duty for the foreseeable future. 

The 25-year-old was set to compete for New York Subliners in the Call of Duty League 2021 season, starting this weekend with Kickoff Classic, but has announced he’ll no longer be playing due to a hand injury. 

In a post on Twitter, ZooMaa wrote: “A few years back while on FaZe, I struggled with weakness in my thumb/wrist and needed surgery. Going through that process of getting healthy again was one of the hardest things I ever had to do both physically and mentally, which led to a lot of stress and anxiety.

“Unfortunately, the injury has returned making it really hard for me to compete at the highest level against some of the best players in the world. Playing through the weakness and pain in my hand just isn’t possible anymore.

Taking a step back from competitive Call of Duty...

Read: https://t.co/z3g9YRIvnC

— NYSL ZooMaa (@ZooMaa) January 19, 2021

• Read more: Call of Duty League Kickoff Classic - Schedule, teams, and stream

“I don’t enjoy competing when I can’t be the ZooMaa everyone knows and loves and feel like it’s not fair to myself or to my team to go through all that again, potentially causing more damage to my hand.”

He added: “It breaks my heart to step away from a game I put my heart and soul into every single day for eight years. Tearing up just writing this, but I don't know what else to do at this point. 

“It's been an amazing run... I don't regret anything and I am grateful to have had a long playing career doing what I love to do at such a high level.”

We are thankful for everything that @ZooMaa has done for the Subliners & our entire org wishes him a speedy recovery. His incredible talent as a teammate & competitor has always made him amazing & the positivity he brings to the community is truly special. We’ll see you soon. https://t.co/P5ZIKnvE72pic.twitter.com/Lm4xLRsEAd

— NYSL (@Subliners) January 19, 2021

• Read more: London Royal Ravens player Zer0: “4v4 isn’t about getting the most kills” 

 ZooMaa started his professional Call of Duty career way back in 2013 on Call of Duty: Ghosts, having played for Team Envy, FaZe Clan, OpTic Gaming and more over the years since. 

It’s rumoured Diamondcon from the New York Subliners academy team will be bumped up to the main roster as ZooMaa's replacement, although this has yet to be confirmed. 

The Call of Duty 2021 main season starts on 12th February with matches streamed on YouTube. 

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