Vanderbilt linebacker Dimitri Moore announced on Instagram that he is opting back into the 2020 season. Moore had previously opted out of the 2020 football season due to COVID-19 concerns.
“After my grandfather’s passing from COVID-19, I made a decision to opt-out of the upcoming football season,” Moore wrote on Instagram. “Since then, I have done more research and had many conversations with doctors and medical personnel. I look forward to returning to the program and playing this season, and I have made this decision on my own. As a team, we are responsible for our actions and hold each other accountable within our environment. I have trust and confidence in Vanderbilt’s testing abilities and safety protocols.”
Moore, a redshirt junior, started nine games at inside linebacker in 2019. He finished the season as the Commodores’ leading tackler, tallying 48 solo tackles and 99 total tackles, which ranked in the top ten in the Southeastern Conference. The 2021 NFL Draft prospect was named to the Butkus Award watch list in July.
Vanderbilt began fall practice on Aug. 17 but practiced only four times until pausing all football activities on Friday due to an unspecified number of positive COVID-19 tests. Moore missed just four practices before activities came to a pause.
Vanderbilt athletics has not announced when the team will resume practice, but on Aug. 25 a spokesperson issued the following statement to The Hustler:
“We will continue to follow our safety guidelines and implement additional measures as necessary while we look forward to resuming team activities.”
