FSU football: Reaction to Jamarcus Chatman opting out of 2020 season

FSU football has its first player to opt out of the 2020 season amid concerns regarding COVID-19. Here is my reaction to the news.

FSU football fans breathed a sigh of relief when senior defensive tackle Marvin Wilson and redshirt junior wide receiver Tamorrion Terry made it clear they were not opting out of the 2020 season due to concerns about COVID-19.

However, the first player to make the decision to opt out came Friday when redshirt sophomore defensive end Jamarcus Chatman.

The former three-star recruit played in four games last season, and would have likely been a reserve player during the 2020 season.

FSU announced in a statement Chatman’s reasoning for opting out:

"“The reason I chose to opt out is because this is a serious deal that’s going on in the world today,” Chatman said. “A close friend of my family is in the hospital suffering from COVID-19 and that hit too close to home. My family and I decided that to be safe I should opt out this season.”"

Thoughts

It’s hard to argue with that reasoning as nobody knows the long-term effects of COVID-19. It’s affecting all ranges of demographics, with older people with underlying health issues dying.

However, it’s not limited to that group as younger people have died from the virus as well. It doesn’t help the state of Florida is among those with the largest number of cases.

I personally know people that have followed all of the protocols to a tee, and have still contracted the virus.

The Noles brought in some players to address depth concerns at the defensive end position. Chatman played in four games last season and didn’t record any stats. Chatman will remain on scholarship according to a statment from Mike Norvell.

All of the players must look out for their best interest, but most of the FSU football team seems keen on playing this fall.