Valorant pro Hazed parts ways with TSM to join NRG

Valorant pro player James "Hazed" Cobb has been dropped from esports organisation TSM FTX after a long 18 months, signalling the end of a chapter in his competitive career. However, the 32-year-old Valorant IGL has found a new home and will be looking to break through into the upper echelon in the upcoming Valorant Champions Tour, following his acquisition by NRG Esports.

Valorant pro Hazed parts ways with TSM to join NRG

TSM FTX announced Hazed's departure on 10th November on Twitter, citing that he was "steadfast, an excellent teammate, and a pleasure to be around," and wished him the best in his future endeavours.

Today we part ways with @hazedCS

You were with us from the start, through all our ups and downs. You were steadfast, an excellent teammate, and a pleasure to be around. You'll forever be part of the TSM family, and we wish you nothing but the best in your new path 🤍 pic.twitter.com/eVLDqABD1V

— TSM FTX (@TSM) November 10, 2021

Indeed, the announcement shocked some fans who TSM led to believe that Hazed left the organisation; however, Hazed later clarified that his departure was not something that he necessarily opted for.

"Just wanted to clarify cause I've read that I left TSM. I did not. I was removed. But NRG had shown interest in me in the past and had considered the move for some time. Happy to be here," the Valorant star said in a Twitter post.

When questioned by a fan whether or not there was a difference between him leaving or being dropped, Hazed said: "one implies I didn't believe in the team anymore, the other implies they didn't believe in me anymore."

However, Hazed maintains that he had "a blast representing TSM and playing with the boys" and was grateful to the TSM fans who supported him throughout his tenure with the team. "Shoutout to the TSM fans, y'all are f***ing amazing [...] I'll always appreciate that from the bottom of my heart," the Valorant star said.

NRG acquire Hazed ahead of the 2022 Valorant season

Following the announcement by TSM, rival esports organisation NRG welcomed Hazed to the family ahead of the upcoming 2022 Valorant season, posting a video on Twitter captioned: "NRG Valorant has a new look."

NRG Valorant has a new look.

Please welcome @hazedCS to the #NRGFampic.twitter.com/6nHLu3QMcn

— NRG (@NRGgg) November 10, 2021

At present, NRG is ranked 12th in North America and will compete in the upcoming Valorant season with the following roster:

• James "hazed" Cobb
• Daniel "eeiu" Vucenovic
• Sam "s0m" Oh
• Bradley "ANDROID" Fodor
• Ian "tex" Botsch

You can watch Hazed's debut performance with his new team against Orion Sectors in the Valorant Elite Showdown. The main event of the showdown starts today and will run until 14th November, with a Livestream feed on Riot Games' main Valorant Twitch channel.

We trust that Hazed will find success with his new team, and we wish him the best of luck ahead of the new season.

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Featured image courtesy of NRG Esports.