On Thursday, Kirby Smart announced that Georgia CB Deandre Baker has decided to not play in the Sugar Bowl. Baker, the Jim Thorpe Award winner for college football’s top defensive back, had initially said he would play against the Texas Longhorns, but changed his mind.

Senior DE Jonathan Ledbetter said Baker has the full support of his Bulldogs teammates in his decision to avoid possible injury ahead of the 2019 NFL Draft.

“He sort of got our input, so we support him. He’s been practicing with us the whole time and it was on his mind and you could definitely tell it was kind of bothering him,” Ledbetter told reporters, per Jake Rowe of Dawgs247. “He just wanted to make sure he was healthy for his career and his future. It just kind of hit him in the middle of the week and he expressed it to us, to Kirby and to the leadership guys. He’s a leader on this team and we support him and he knows that.”

And if Baker, who made the trip to New Orleans, changes his mind again and decides to suit up, the Bulldogs will welcome him with open arms.

“If he decides to come back and play, we’ll let him,” Ledbetter said. “And if he doesn’t play we’ll still love him.”