Patrick Chung is not having any of the conspiracy theories out there. After announcing his decision to opt out of this the 2020 NFL season, the New England Patriots safety is coming to the defense of his head coach Bill Belichick.
After a number of high-profile players of the Patriots decided to sit out the season, an unnamed NFL executive jokingly mentioned that the six-time champion head coach was the “mastermind” behind all of his players' decision. The said comment sparked theories that Belichick and the team are purposely trying to tank the campaign.
However, Chung slammed the idea and emphasized that whoever said that Belichick is tanking 2020 is “dumb.”
Whoever said that is dumb https://t.co/ZorDNiC7PY
— Patrick Chung (@PatrickChung23) July 29, 2020
As of writing, Patrick Chung was the sixth member of the Patriots who have decided to sit out the 2020 NFL season. Players deciding to forego this season has been a growing trend given the fact that positive cases of COVID-19 continuously rise in the United States.
There have also been several issues with regards to the league's COVID-19 protocols, with the NFL failing to give players a clear and concrete plan to protect them and their health.
“Of course, it’s a tough decision,” Chung said of his decision to sit out the campaign. “You want to play football. I’m in the latter end of my career, so I wanted to play football. But when it comes down to it, I feel that money is not that important.”
The three-time Super Bowl champ with the Patriots chose to prioritize his family's health in his decision . This offseason, Chung signed a two-year extension that will pay him $12.8 million over the next four seasons.
When asked about his head coach, Chung explained: “He understands there’s a serious pandemic going on. He totally got it. Bill — you guys thinks he’s this drill sergeant, but he’s actually a very caring person. So he totally understood and that was it. It was a short phone call.”
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