New York Giants offensive lineman Note Solder has taken to Twitter to announce that he will be opting out of the 2020 NFL season with an emotional, heartfelt post:
Solder is just the latest NFL player to forego playing in this coming season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 32-year-old was preparing to enter his third year as a member of the Giants after signing a lucrative long-term deal with the club back in 2018.
Solder, who enjoyed a very solid run with the New England Patriots from 2011 through 2017, as been a fairly big disappointment for New York thus far, although there was hope he could improve in 2020 with the addition of rookie left tackle Andrew Thomas. The general consensus was that Solder, who has labored on the left side, would move to right tackle.
Now, he won't be playing at all.
COVID-19 began to sweep the nation in March, resulting in the suspensions of both the NBA and NHL campaigns, respectively. Both sports have returned, with the NBA opting to use a bubble system in Orlando and the NHL utilizing hub cities in Edmonton and Toronto.
The start of the MLB season—which was slated for late March—was also postponed. Baseball kicked things off on July 23, but has already run into some trouble with a plethora of Miami Marlins players, coaches and staff members testing positive for the coronavirus.
As of right now, the NFL has not made any concrete plans for when its season is scheduled to begin in September, but there is a growing feeling that the campaign will have to be played without fans in attendance.