Despite Pandemic, Buckeyes Feel They Are Safer Playing This Year
Earlier this week the Big Ten moved on from its plans to play this fall. Despite the Buckeyes being comfortable playing under their health and safety protocols, the conference has set its sights on 2021.
But perhaps the league presidents should have received more insight from the players on the matter. College football players across the country were pushing the #WeWantToPlay movement in hopes of keeping the 2020 season alive. Ohio State players, in particular, felt good about what the university had put in place to protect them.
Leadership on this year’s team has not wavered its confidence moving forward with the season. Defensive end Jonathon Cooper expressed his feelings before camp started and center Josh Myers made his remarks at the beginning of the year captains press conference.
“My level of comfort in our safety is really high,” Myers said. “I think there’s nothing more that our coaches and trainers and our staff can do to keep us safe. I can’t say enough about what they’re doing. And I would say that my level of concern for safety is small.”
Teams were prepared to handle the challenge the COVID-19 pandemic presented. College football teams operate in a structured, organized environment. Canceling the season brought unnecessary chaos into their world. There were still unanswered questions, but the Buckeyes felt they had time to figure those things out.
In fact, just last week, head coach Ryan Day spoke confidently about his program’s plan. Ohio State officials worked tirelessly to make sure they had the structure in place to move forward on the 2020 campaign.
“Hats are off to the medical people," Day said last Thursday. "They are working around the clock. They have done a wonderful job getting together with Gene Smith to put together the safest environment possible for our team."
Now conferences have to determine if they can tackle the obstacle of playing a season five months down the road.
Unfortunately, the preparations to play this fall weren’t enough for Big Ten or Pac-12 university presidents. Meanwhile, the SEC, ACC and Big 12 are still gearing up to play.
Isn’t it possible that college football players could actually be safer playing games than not playing them? In Columbus, the Buckeyes thought that abiding by the strict rules Coach Day and school officials put in place is better than having players out of the facility and quasi-bubble the team had created.
One of the college football’s great coaches sang that same tune. Alabama head coach Nick Saban pointed out why he thinks there should be college football this fall.
“Look, players are a lot safer with us than they are running around at home,” Saban said. “We have around a two percent positive ratio on our team since the Fourth of July. It's a lot higher than that in society. We act like these guys can't get this unless they play football. They can get it anywhere, whether they're in a bar or just hanging out."
As things remain in limbo for the Big Ten, Day acknowledged the challenge of players following guidelines without having a season to look forward to soon.
“That’s a real concern,” Day said. “I think that maturity of our team and the leadership of our team — character and make up — will keep us from having a major problem in that area. But I can’t sit here and tell you that I am not concerned because I am.”
So, was canceling the season this soon the right call? The Big Ten presidents think so without reservation. The players on the other hand, think differently.
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