Uh-Oh: Hightower, Chung and Others Opt-Out of Playing for Patriots in 2020
This is not good. Patriot players are due this week in Foxborough to get their COVID-19 tests and start practicing.
But already, it sounds like SIX Patriots have said, "no, thank you,' and are opting out of playing for the season. Presumably because of the threat of getting the disease.
Two of these Pats players are big-time stars and starters.
Yup, Patrick Chung, and Dont'a Hightower are out.
The full list as of this writing includes:
Dont'a Hightower
Patrick Chung
Marcus Cannon
Danny Vitale
Najee Toran
Brandon Bolden
Players need to decide to opt-out or not are up against an Aug. 3 deadline. They give up their salary but get a $150,000 stipend. Already, all the preseason games have been canceled.
Mike Reiss having a busy day...
Not good.
We'll see if more players all around the NFL decide to opt-out. Can you blame them? Hey, if you were already worth 50 million dollars, would you take the risk? You gotta wonder what will happen with pro sports. The MLB is already in trouble with games being canceled and teams already being decimated by COVID-19. Maybe the leagues in the "bubbles" will make it. The Celtics start on Friday in the Orland NBA Bubble and te Bruins start on Sunday in their Toronto Bubble.
Here's my prediction: I bet the NFL postpones the first four games and plays them at the end of the season. It might give them a little more time to keep everyone healthy so we actually HAVE a season.
As scheduled now, the Pats season looks like this:
· Week 1: vs. MIA (Sunday, Sept. 13 @ 1 p.m.
· Week 2: @ SEA (Monday, Sept. 20 @ 8:20 p.m.
· Week 3: vs. LV (Sunday, Sept. 27 @ 1 p.m.
· Week 4: @ KC (Sunday, Oct. 4 @ 4:25 p.m.
· Week 5: vs. DEN (Sunday, Oct. 11 @ 1 p.m.
· Week 6: BYE
· Week 7: vs. SF (Sunday, Oct. 25 @ 4:25 p.m.
· Week 8: @ BUF (Sunday, Nov. 1 @ 1 p.m.
· Week 9: @ NYJ (Monday, Nov. 9 @ 8:15 p.m.
· Week 10: vs. BAL (Sunday, Nov. 15 @ 8:20 p.m.
· Week 11: @ HOU (Sunday, Nov. 22 @ 1 p.m.
· Week 12: vs. ARI (Sunday, Nov. 29 @ 1 p.m.
· Week 13: @ LAC (Sunday, Dec. 6 @ 4:25 p.m.
· Week 14: @ LAR (Thursday, Dec. 10 @ 8:20 p.m.
· Week 15: @ MIA (Sunday, Dec. 20 @ 1 p.m.
· Week 16: vs. BUF (Monday, Dec. 28 @ 8:15 p.m.
· Week 17: vs. NYJ (Sunday, Jan. 3 @ 1 p.m. ET)