Sports Illustrated college football insider Pat Forde spoke with Doug Gottlieb on The Doug Gottlieb Show about student-athletes opting out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But will safety from the coronavirus really be the reason that some of the nation's top players choose to sit out? Take a listen as Doug and Pat discuss the likelihood that top draft prospects will use COVID-19 as an excuse to preserve their draft stock or as an act of protest from playing on a losing team.
Doug:I think players will be less safe at home than at a college campus. What sense do you get of the number of college football players that will opt out?
Pat Forde: "That's a good point. Some players will use COVID-19 as a cover for not wanting to play because they don't want to get hurt while playing for free. I think there will be a relatively-high number of guys. Maybe two dozen or more. If things start going badly...you will see more guys. In the past, we've talked about player skipping bowl games. Wait until teams have a bad start to their season...you will see guys bailing left and right!"