Minnesota WR Rashod announces to skip 2020 season due to Covid-19

The wide receiver of Minnesota Golden Gophers, Rashod Bateman has announced that he will skip his junior season for 2020 and will head to the 2021 NFL draft, amid the unsettled situation of Covid-19. He is the second pro prospect leaving the soon-to-be season After Virginia cornerback Caleb Farley.

The player has revealed his stand through his social media account saying, “In light of the uncertainty around health and safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic, I have to set my wishes aside for the wellness of my family, community and beyond because of this, I have decided to opt-out of the 2020 college football season and I will be taking the next steps in my journey by declaring for the 2021 NFL draft.”

Rashod was brought back in 2018 by the Minnesota coach P.J Fleck from Georgia and set an outstanding impact with 51 passes and six touchdowns as an absolute freshman. Being an integral part of the Gophers’ 11-2 season, he earned first-team AII-Big title.

NFL analyst Eric Edholm expresses his concern through a statement, “He looked extremely polished for a 20-year old sophomore with only two seasons under his belt in 2019 and has the chance to be one of the first wideouts drafted next year.”

Contrarily the game officials of NFL are prepared for the opt-out announcements due to the ongoing pandemic situation. They said that they would not be surprised if most of the star players decide to skip the season for health issues as the situation is still raging in the US.

Fans are surely going to miss some star-stud shots this time!