FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Six members of the New England Patriots will not suit up for the six-time Super Bowl champions in the 2020 NFL season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to multiple reports.
RB Brandon Bolden, OT Marcus Cannon, S Patrick Chung, LB Dont’a Hightower, OL Najee Toran and FB Danny Vitale have all opted not to play in the fall’s upcoming football season.
Chung was the latest of the Patriots to opt-out, with ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss making the announcement early Tuesday afternoon.
Patriots safety Patrick Chung tells me that he plans to opt out of the 2020 season. He is the sixth Patriots player to do so.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) July 28, 2020
Patrick Chung spoke Sunday night on the "Double Coverage" podcast, with Devin and Jason McCourty, about how he was looking forward to welcoming a baby to his family. Over the years, he's spoken often about his son, Taj, and the importance of fatherhood to him.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) July 28, 2020
The 32-year-old played in 13 games for New England in 2019, making a combined 51 tackles and defending three passes. The safety has played 10 of his 11 pro seasons with the Patriots since the team selected him in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to break the news of Hightower’s decision Tuesday morning, which came nearly two weeks after the two-time Pro-Bowl linebacker and his wife welcomed a son on July 16.
Dont’a Hightower now becomes the fourth Patriot to opt out of 2020, joining OT Marcus Cannon, FB Danny Vitale and OL Najee Toran. https://t.co/NzfDCxgXEh
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 28, 2020
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport passed on a message from Hightower about his impending absence nearly an hour after Schefter’s initial report.
“Me and my fiancée are just more concerned with the health of our family than football — especially the new addition to our family,” Hightower said in a quote tweeted by Rapoport.
A message from #Patriots LB Dont'a Hightower, one of the highest profile players opting out amid the Coronavirus: “Me and my fiancée are just more concerned with the health of our family than football — especially the new addition to our family.”
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 28, 2020
Hightower has a 2-week-old son.
Hightower, 29, is coming off a Pro Bowl season for New England.
Patriots LB Dont'a Hightower releases a statement to fans regarding his opt-out of the 2020 NFL season. @boston25 https://t.co/Y1FqrA5WFs
— Dave Souza (@dsouza4717) July 28, 2020
In 2019, he recorded 5.5 sacks and 71 combined tackles in 15 games. The linebacker also recovering one fumble and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns in Week 8. It was his first touchdown since his rookie season in 2012.
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Bolden, a running back and special teamer, also will not play for the Patriots in 2020, according to multiple reports. That news was first announced on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show on Tuesday morning.
Breaking: Brandon Bolden is opting out of the 2020 season per @FitzyGFY.
— The Greg Hill Show (@TheGregHillShow) July 28, 2020
As @FitzyGFY said on @TheGregHillShow, Patriots RB Brandon Bolden is planning to opt out of the 2020 season.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) July 28, 2020
Bolden becomes the fifth Patriots player to choose to opt out, joining LB Dont'a Hightower, OT Marcus Cannon, FB Danny Vitale and C/G Najee Toran.
The 29-year-old has played in New England for seven of his eight years in the NFL.
Bolden scored four touchdowns in 2019 for the Patriots and forced one fumble on special teams. He also returned 23 kicks for the team a season ago.
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Cannon’s future absence on the offensive line for the 2020 season was first reported by 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Jim Murray.
Now 32, Cannon battled non-Hodgkins lymphoma back in 2011, when he played in seven of the team’s 16 regular-season games. His status as a high-risk player means he will receive $350,000 from NFL despite opting out.
Can confirm Patriots OT Marcus Cannon has decided to opt out, per source (as @kguregian said). He’s set to receive the $350,000 high-risk amount as a cancer survivor.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) July 28, 2020
Cannon has been with the Patriots for all nine seasons of his NFL career. He was named Second Team All-Pro in 2016 by the Associated Press.
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Toran was signed to the Patriots practice squad in September 2019. His decision to opt-out was first publicized by the Boston Globe’s Jim McBride on Monday evening.
In addition to fullback Dan Vitale, #Patriots guard Najee Toran also has opted out of the season, per league source.
— Jim McBride (@globejimmcbride) July 27, 2020
Additionally, newly signed FB Vitale also will not suit up for New England this season. USA Today’s Jarrett Bell was first to report the story.
Vitale played the last two seasons in Green Bay with the Packers. There, he hauled in seven passes for 97 yards - both career highs - in 15 games in 2019. Three of those receptions resulted in first downs.
The full-back and his wife recently welcomed a baby girl to their family in April of this year.
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