Safety Chris Tavarez has left the Duke football team, head coach David Cutcliffe announced Tuesday evening. The redshirt freshman appeared in seven games for the Blue Devils this season, predominantly in roles on special teams, recording two tackles.
“After meeting with Chris, it was determined that it is in everyone’s best interest for him to depart our program, effective immediately,” Cutcliffe said in a statement released Thurdsay night.
Tavarez told The Chronicle that his professional acting career was his reason for leaving the team. He has played football players in NBC’s movie Field of Vision and Disney Channel’s Avalon High. Tavarez has also appeared in episodes of Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns and made his first film appearance at age 13 in Big Momma’s House 2.
Decimated at the safety position throughout the season, Tavarez’s absence will leave the Blue Devils even more shorthanded when they square off with Cincinnati in the Belk Bowl Dec. 27. Tavarez is the second safety to leave Duke’s team this season. Redshirt junior August Campbell announced he would leave the team Sept. 30, citing personal reasons.
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