The poignancy of the Big Ten's decision to postpone its fall sports season Tuesday was not lost on the administrators at Ohio State.

Both Ohio State president Kristina M. Johnson and athletic director Gene Smith expressed sorrow for those most deeply impacted by the monumental announcement in a statement released shortly after the conference's decision was made known, and Smith appeared later on the Big Ten Network.

“As a former collegiate athlete whose career in sports was cut short by circumstances beyond my control, I deeply feel the pain, frustration and disappointment that all our players, coaches and staff – and all Buckeye fans – are feeling today,” Johnson said in the release.

Johnson said Ohio State will ensure that scholarships for student-athletes will remain intact, and that the university will continue to prioritize safety and health for all students amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Johnson said she will work with Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, Smith and other officials in order to return student-athletes to the field of play "as soon as possible."

“This is an incredibly sad day for our student-athletes, who have worked so hard and been so vigilant fighting against this pandemic to get this close to their season,” Smith said in the release. “My heart aches for them and their families."

Smith appeared on Big Ten Network shortly after the postponement announcement was made, voicing disappointment with the outcome, but ultimately he stood he understood the reasoning.

“We felt that we had put in place outstanding protocols here, as our student-athletes shared, so we felt that it was a possibility," Smith said. "Wish we could have had a little bit more time to evaluate, but we certainly understand that this was the time we had to move.”

Smith added he is ready to “embrace the spring concept," and said Ohio State stands with the Big Ten's decision on fall sports.

"We were getting ready to put on pads. And that was a point, that was a moment where the science began to become real," Smith said. "And we supported the fact that we needed to have to make a pause. So we would have preferred to play, like everybody else, with the passion that our student-athletes have, but at the end of the day the medical advice and science overruled where we were today.”

Contact tracing and a lack of data on COVID-19 were the two main concerns of Smith regarding fall football.

“You have contact. Constantly," Smith said. "Now, the effort to try to create a clean field through testing and things of that nature is a real possibility. But the reality is, the game is not like sitting in a classroom, it’s not like walking across campus, it’s not like wearing a mask while you’re in a lab. It’s full contact.”

The football team has already been addressed on the postponement, Smith said. He added that it was a tough talk for everyone involved.

“I told them I failed them," Smith said. "And I feel I did. Because we weren't able to create the ultimate protocols for the game itself, where we could feel comfortable playing it.”

As was the case in Ohio State's official statement, Smith said he and president-elect Johnson were on the same page, pushing for a delayed fall season instead of the final postponement.

He did not rule out winter sports, keeping everything on the table as more information about the virus is given.

Smith ended his interview on Big Ten Network with a message to Ohio State fans, asking everyone to understand and support the decisions that were made on Tuesday.

“I know all of our fans are disappointed, and I’m sorry," Smith said. "But the health and safety of our kids is so important.”

Per the university release:

Specifics and details with regard to what workout and training regimens will consist of this fall for the student-athletes involved with these sports are being determined.

Resources currently in place that benefit these student-athletes at Ohio State will remain. All of those student-athletes on scholarship will remain on scholarship. COVID-19 testing by the Department of Athletics and quarantine/isolation protocols will continue for these student-athletes.

Access to team facilities and locker rooms, and sports performance, medical/training and nutrition areas will be available under the current health and safety protocols that are in place.

Tutoring, scheduling and additional services provided through the Student-Athlete Support Services Office are ongoing. Comprehensive mental health services will continue for all student-athletes through the athletic department’s staff at its Sport Psychology and Wellness Services department.