COLUMBUS, Ohio –– The parents of both Ohio State football players and others across the Big Ten conference were instrumental in pushing the agenda for reinstating a fall season after it had been canceled this past August.
Even before Randy Wade, father of former Buckeye defensive back Shaun Wade, helped organize protests at the Big Ten headquarters in Chicago as well as another gathering at Ohio Stadium, the Football Parents Association at Ohio State released a letter to the conference commissioner on Aug. 15, imploring Kevin Warren to reverse the Aug. 11 decision.
Texts between Ohio State president Kristina Johnson and athletic director Gene Smith, which BuckeyeGrove received in a public records request this week, revealed that Warren may have believed the aforementioned letter was “manufactured.”
The FPAOS released a statement on the matter Friday, which said Warren’s supposed reaction to their Aug. 15 letter was “disheartening.”
“To the Big Ten parent organizations that participated in Zoom meetings, emails and phone calls, thank you! We will see you soon,” the statement reads in part. “To Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren, reflect, adjust, communicate and do better.”
The controversy surrounding Warren’s reaction to the letter began Wednesday as a result of a text message exchange between Johnson and Smith on Aug. 15, which was part of the records request.
Johnson told Smith that Warren was “alleging that the letter is being manufactured.”
“The upcoming letter from OSU parents –– claims it is being manufactured,” Johnson wrote. “I am not happy, pretty serious charge.”
Smith replied with surprise, wondering how Warren would know if the letter was or was not manufactured.
“Our parents have a formal organization with a president, vice president, etc.,” Smith wrote to Johnson. “They are an organized group...I am sure it is genuine.”
A conversation later on the same day saw Smith once again tell Johnson that the parents’ letter was legitimate, and addressed specifically to Warren. Johnson asked Smith if the parents could sign their name to the letter to further prove its authenticity, and Smith replied that many already were via Twitter.
Per the latest FPAOS statement, the information surrounding Warren’s attitude toward the Aug. 15 letter reinforces the organization’s “lack of confidence” in Big Ten leadership, as well as “proudness” in Smith, Johnson and the Buckeye football program.
