CHAPEL HILL – Three North Carolina football players have chosen to opt out of the 2020 season due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senior safety D.J. Ford, sophomore defensive back Javon Terry and junior cornerback Bryce Watts have decided to sit out this season. They will keep their scholarships and all of the benefits that come with it, and will not lose their place on the team for next year.

UNC Coach Mack Brown has said several times in recent months that anyone associated with the program could opt out of the season without negative repercussion. That includes the players, coaches and other personnel.

“We have asked each player and told each player, if you don’t feel comfortable, every time we’ve met with them, ‘don’t play and you can stay on scholarship,’” Brown recently said. “Everybody handles stress differently, everybody handles a crisis differently. Some people have more anxiety with it, some people have depression with stuff like this because we’ve got a lot on us. ‘So, if that is affecting you at all don’t play.’”

Ford has played in 33 games for the Tar Heels registering 72 career tackles with an interception, fumble recovery and a forced fumble to his record. He has started nine games as well.

Terry played in all 13 games last season, primarily on special teams, and Watts played in 25 games at Virginia Tech before transferring to UNC, where he sat out last season.