With the new NFL season just weeks away, the New England Patriots have lost an eighth player to the opting out fever that has swept through American Football.

In an era dominated by the global Coronavirus pandemic, the clash between players, officials and the U.S. Government over preparations for NFL to return has spilled over into the NFL pre-season. This weekend, New England Patriots tight end Matt LaCosse became the eighth player of the New England Patriots to opt out of the forthcoming NFL season.

While not perhaps as headline-grabbing as other withdrawals, 27-year-old LaCosse will be a big miss for the Patriots, following as he does in the walk-out footsteps of Dont’a Hightower, Marcus Cannon, Patrick Chung, Brandon Bolden, Marqise Lee, Dan Vitale and Najee Toran.

LaCosse’s absence has been put down to Coronavirus reasons, with his wife Jessica, due to deliver a baby boy in the upcoming NFL season. It would appear that LaCosse is simply not happy to risk anything for his family’s health, and why should he? In 2019, LaCosse started 8 of the 11 games, and while he had an ankle injury to contend with, he still finished the season with 13 recpetions for 132 yards. He even made a touchdown, one more than he’ll be able to make in 2020 thanks to as the players see it, broken promises in terms of testing and health protocols.