FAU Football: Safety Quran Hafiz opts out of 2020 season
Hafiz cites the health of his son and family as the main reason behind his decision.
Hafiz in the past three seasons collected 91 total tackles while forcing two turnovers. Photo by Alex Liscio.
August 9, 2020
FAU Safety Quran Hafiz announced Saturday that he would opt out of the 2020 football season due to the spread and growing concerns of COVID-19.
In a social media post, Hafiz expressed deep concern for the health of his family, specifically his young son.
— Quran Hafiz ❗ (@__Quran4) August 8, 2020
“I realized that I’m not making decisions just for myself anymore,” he wrote on Instagram. “Our safety and health is my #1 priority.”
Hafiz was widely expected to contend for the starting role at safety this year after being a contributor in each of the past three seasons, amassing 91 total tackles and forcing two turnovers. His decision came quickly on the heels of a Conference-USA Board of Governors announcement Friday that the league would complete its full eight-game conference schedule on the originally scheduled dates.
Hafiz released his statement just hours after the Mid-American Conference (MAC) voted on Saturday to postpone all fall sports, including football, for its member schools until at least Spring 2021.
With the move, Hafiz joins a small but growing contingent of NCAA Division I athletes to opt-out of fall football this year. In choosing to sit out what would be his senior season, Hafiz still has one year of athletic eligibility remaining that began when he enrolled at FAU prior to his 2017 freshman campaign.
“I do plan to return [in] 2021 and play for Coach Taggart and his staff,” Hafiz continued in his post.
The NCAA has so far been silent on how athletes who opt out with eligibility set to expire at the end of this season will be treated, though a deadline has been set for Aug. 14 for each division to determine how it will handle those athletes.
For his part, Hafiz lauded the precautions taken by the FAU athletics staff against a possible outbreak but noted that traveling by plane to other states was worrisome.
With his choice to sit now official, Hafiz reiterated his commitment to FAU athletics and those whom he called his “brothers” on the football team.
“I will be the biggest FAU fan this year,” he said.
John DeStefano is a contributing writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @Johns_voice.
