Ohio State pauses all voluntary workouts on campus

Ohio State athletics’ return to normalcy will have to wait for a bit.

College sports have been in a whirlwind throughout this summer because of COVID-19 restrictions. Winter sports could not finish up their championships and just as the spring season was about to get started, everything came to a screeching halt in mid-March.

As the U.S. flattens the curve in some states, the NCAA is working with the CDC to allow student-athletes to return to campus for voluntary workouts. As student-athletes were getting back into the swing of things, there have been a handful of schools that have had to shut operations down. Ohio State is the most-recent victim.

While no official reports of the number of positive tests are available, there were enough for the athletic department to say action is needed on campus. While everyone involved with college sports wants to return to normal, the health and safety of the student-athlete needs to be prioritized.

OSU’s athletic department put a hold on all voluntary workouts on campus. The teams affected include men’s and women’s basketball, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball. With the season approaching, this is a concerning development.

Ohio State is not the only school which put voluntary workouts on a temporary pause. A few more universities have followed suit recently: Kansas, Kansas State, Texas, Houston, Boise State, Arizona and North Carolina. UNC also paused workouts the same day as Ohio State.

With plenty of major Division I programs pausing voluntary workouts, there is a conundrum of sorts. College sports want to make their eventual comeback, but the effects of COVID-19 haven’t run its course.

With some time before fall seasons officially start in August and September, OSU and other programs can get back on track to have a season while following CDC health guidelines.