New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung stepped away from football this season in an effort to protect his family during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a main factor being his girlfriend was expecting their child this fall.
“Of course, it was a tough decision,” Chung said about opting out back in July.
“You want to play football. I’m in the latter end of my career, so I wanted to play football. But when it comes down to it, I feel money is not that important. My family… I have a girlfriend, who is pregnant, a baby girl coming soon, my son has a little asthma, my dad is 75 years old. I just felt like this was the best decision for my family to keep everyone safe. I don’t think it’s fair to them, so I just decided to do that. It’s not over, it’s just postponed a little bit.”
Fast forward to this week, Chung officially became a father of his second child.
He shared some photos of his newborn daughter in a post to Instagram.
“Sept is a good month! More to come. Our baby girl is here!”, Chung wrote in a caption.
Last week, Chung discussed with ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss just how this season has been different watching from a distance instead of playing.
“I plan on watching with my family for the first time, losing my mind at the same time!”, Chung said about the teams week one game with the Miami Dolphins.
Despite not being able to see his teammates, Chung stated he has no regrets about opting out and was looking forward to having full availability for his daughter.
“It’s been fine, hanging with son [Taj], baby girl on the way, so that will be awesome to spend full time with her when she gets here,” he said. “I’m learning a lot of new things. Trying to better myself.”
Chung is one of eight Patriots COVID-19 opt outs, joining Dont’a Hightower, who also celebrated a child birth , Marcus Cannon, Brandon Bolden, Matt LaCosse, Marquise Lee, Danny Vitale, and Najee Toran.
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