Ohio State football players must sign coronavirus risk waiver

If you want to play for Ohio State football, you have to sign a waiver.

Ohio State football mandates its players must sign a coronavirus waiver in order to play.

The college football world has been flipped upside-down by the global pandemic. Spring football was canceled and student-athletes were sent home last semester because of COVID-19. The coronavirus isn’t going away, but it’s something we’re going to have to manage living with. Many colleges across the country were allowed to have athletes back on campus beginning June 1.

Upon arriving back in Columbus, Ohio State football players were asked to sign a coronavirus risk waiver to participate in voluntary workouts this summer. The Columbus Dispatch received a copy of what is being called “The Buckeye Pledge”, outlining what is expected out of a college football player at Ohio State this offseason with the coronavirus still going around.

Though scholarships would not be revoked if a player didn’t sign the waiver, the player would be prohibited from playing this fall and wouldn’t be allowed to use team facilities. If an incoming freshman wasn’t yet 18-years-old, a parent or guardian was asked to sign the waiver to grant him permission to play for the 2020 Buckeyes.

Ohio State football players have to sign a coronavirus waiver to play.

Waivers like these shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Indiana football players will be asked to sign something similar when they return to the Bloomington campus next week. The whole point of the pledge is for the players to be fully aware of how seriously the university they go to school is taking the coronavirus. At his core though, it’s a liability play by the university.

“The Buckeye Pledge” requests the Ohio State football players to “pledge to take responsibility for my own health and help stop the spread of the COVID-19.” It also serves its purpose as a warning.

“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.”

Again, nothing too shocking here. If a player wants to play, then he’ll have to do his part to follow the necessary protocols in place and help stop the spread of the coronavirus. This includes be subjected to COVID-19 testing, disclosing any symptoms they might have, regular temperature readings and subject themselves to 14 days of isolation should they test positive for the virus.

Ohio State men’s and women’s basketball players will report back to campus next week. One would expect they’d be asked to sign the same “Buckeye Pledge” Though their postseasons got canceled and they’re never getting them back, this is the new normal. As long as these protocols are taken seriously by the student-athletes, we could have college sports back soon.

Just because Ohio State football has to sign a coronavirus waiver doesn’t mean they’ll be alone.

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