The New England Patriots have been severely affected by players opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19. While the Patriots have lost a few starters, Bill Belichick reacted to multiple New England players opting out this season.
“I respect all of them,” Belichick said, via Henry McKenna of USA Today. “I talked to those guys and they explained their situations, and they had to make the decisions that were best for them, and I totally respect and support it.”
Altogether, Marcus Cannon, Patrick Chung, Dont'a Hightower, Brandon Bolden, Danny Vitale, and Najee Toran opted out for the Patriots. Therefore, New England is going to be without three of their starters in 2020. Not to mention, they lost quite a few key contributors in free agency this offseason.
Both Cannon and Hightower highlighted health and family concerns as the reasons why they are sitting out the upcoming season for the Patriots. At the same time, the other players to opt-out have given reasonable reasons for their decisions.
After all, the NFL can't force players to play amid the coronavirus pandemic. Belichick understands that. Knowing Belichick, he'll be able to find players that can seamlessly replace the Patriots that aren't going to be in uniform in 2020.
Throughout the years, Belichick has been labeled as a head coach that operates similarly to a robot, showing no emotions when speaking to the media. However, even though some of his Patriots players have opted out this season, Belichick seems more than understanding of their rational decisions.
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