With sports getting ready to return on every level, collegiate sports is getting real with its players.
Ohio State football players and their parents were asked to sign a risk waiver regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
The action came before returning to campus for voluntary workouts on June 8, according to reports.
The “Buckeye Pledge” was obtained and reported by the Columbus Dispatch. It asks players to “help stop the spread of the COVID-19.”
It also asks them to accept that “I may be exposed to COVID-19 and other infections.”
By signing the two-page electronic pledge, players agree to testing and potential self-quarantining; monitoring for symptoms, and reporting any potential exposure in a timely manner.
They also have to practice Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. These include practices such as wearing a mask and practicing social distancing.
The waiver states “any failure to comply with my Buckeye Pledge above may lead to the immediate removal of athletic participation privileges (not my athletics scholarship) and/or the inability to use athletics facilities.”
New Rules
Every football player has signed the waiver, according to a school spokesman. The university is not sharing cumulative testing information publicly.
“That’s why we call it a pledge,” athletic director Gene Smith confirmed to ESPN. “We don’t look at that as a legal document. It’s a Buckeye pledge. Allow us to help you so that if we face a situation, our trainers, our strength coaches, our coaches or any athletic administrator sees a student-athlete not wearing a mask or not social distancing, we can say, ‘Hey, you made a commitment. You signed a pledge. Your parents signed a pledge. Your parents are a part of this.'”
The idea came from Indiana athletic director Fred Glass during a weekly call with the Big Ten Athletic Directors.
They always share best practices and ideas on the call. Glass wanted to find a way to help ensure the players’ behavior was right; get them to make a commitment to it.
“You’ve got to make a commitment,” Smith said. “You need to social distance. We’re hammering our kids on that concept. Social distancing is the biggest challenge we’ve been having. They’re kids. They want to be close to one another.”
According to the waiver, the athletes and their parents “understand COVID-19 is a highly contagious virus and it is possible to develop and contract the COVID-19 disease, even if I follow all of the safety precautions above and those recommended by the CDC, local health department, and others. I understand that although the university is following the coronavirus guidelines issued by the CDC and other experts to reduce the spread of infection, I can never be completely shielded from all risk of illness caused by COVID-19 or other infections.”
