Gophers’ wide receiver Rashod Bateman is opting out of the rest of the season to “focus on the next stage of my career.”
In a statement posted on social media, the junior wideout from Georgia said it was both the cancellation of the Wisconsin game Saturday and the Gophers’ outbreak that caused it, that promoted him and head coach PJ Fleck to make the decision to end his Minnesota career.
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In the statement, Bateman praised Fleck and said the “Row the Boat culture will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
Bateman, who originally opted out in August due to concerns about playing in the pandemic, returned to the team the next month. The reigning Big Ten Receiver of the Year was projected to be a first round pick in the upcoming NFL draft.