On July 3, Dignitas announced that they would be parting ways with General Manager and founder of the organisation, Michael “ODEE” O’Dell, a move that came to the surprise of pretty much everyone who knows ODEE and the history of Dignitas.
We have mutually parted ways with GM Michael "ODEE" O'Dell and will soon appoint a General Manager that will operate in Los Angeles, alongside our new LCS franchise. We wish @ODEEisOG the very best in his future endeavors. pic.twitter.com/ihRO58YtbJ
— Dignitas (@dignitas) July 3, 2019
The organisation was bought out by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) in 2017, with the same company having a stake in multiple global sport operations such as Crystal Palace FC, Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, to name a few.
Since then, Dignitas has rebranded and HBSE have put forth a $20m investment to buy the majority stake in Clutch Gaming from the Houston Rockets, with the intention to rebrand them and bring Dignitas back to the LCS in 2020.
The replies, from some of the biggest names in esports, really say it all.
ODEE himself didn’t say much in a following tweet this morning, July 4, but shows a continued commitment and love for esports.
I look forward to talking to a lot of people in the next couple of weeks. I will continue to help build esports as I have been doing for 20 years. I am free to work immediately and my drive to see it succeed is as strong now as it was in 1999.
— Michael O'Dell (@ODEEisOG) July 4, 2019
Thank you for the kind words.
There has not been any explanation as to why or how this decision ended up being made, but it’s a pretty heartbreaking situation for anyone that has been involved with Dignitas or esports as a whole for the last 20 years.
Hopefully he finds himself back on his feet and doing bigger and better than ever in the near future.