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DURHAM – Duke football coach David Cutcliffe said long snapper Ben Wyatt and offensive lineman Jacob Rimmer have opted out of playing this season because of concerns about the coronavirus.
Cutcliffe spoke after Friday’s first preseason practice for the Blue Devils, saying Wyatt and Rimmer “just weren’t comfortable with playing.” He said both would remain on scholarship as they work toward earning their degrees this spring.
Wyatt, a starter, is a fifth-year senior who appeared in all of Duke’s 38 games during the last three seasons. Rimmer, a tackle on the offensive line, is a redshirt junior who saw action in three career games.
Senior long snapper John Taylor is set to replace Wyatt.
Duke recently announced that 25 athletes had tested positive across a three-week period as they began returning to campus for voluntary workouts, with nine in mandatory isolation. The school said all cases involved mild or no symptoms. None of the Blue Devils teams had to pause workouts due to testing results.
In Chapel Hill, defensive backs D.J. Ford, Javon Terry and Bryce Watts have opted out of playing for North Carolina this season due to pandemic concerns.
Tar Heels football spokesman Jeremy Sharpe announced the players’ decisions in a video call with reporters after Friday’s practice.
Ford is a redshirt senior who started seven games last year, while Terry appeared in all 13 games as a redshirt freshman. Watts is a junior who sat out last year after transferring from Virginia Tech.
The North Carolina team had previously announced that offensive lineman Triston Miller would not play due to “family reasons,” though it did not elaborate further.
This article originally appeared on Times-News: Blue Devils, Tar Heels players opt out of season
