Gene Smith focused on determining a return-to-play period for players

COLUMBUS, Ohio – With concerns about the college football season beginning to increase, Gene Smith stressed the importance of determining the timeframe that would be needed for an athlete to be ready to return to competition.

While Ohio State’s first game isn’t until Sept. 5, there needs to be ample time for players to get back into the rhythm of being a collegiate athlete, according to Smith. The Ohio State athletic director stressed the focus on player safety, and he emphasized that the time that is deemed necessary for an athlete to get ready for competition will largely impact how the discussion around the season is handled.

“We have not begun our discussions or models for the football season,” Smith said. “Those discussions that we just started, actually started late last week and have been embedded in some of our conversations this week, was just really around return to play protocols.”

This Saturday was supposed to be the annual spring game at Ohio State, but due to the impact of COVID-19, that along with all other athletic events during the spring were cancelled. Along with the spring game, Ohio State saw the premature ending to its spring practice times, and many players returned to their respective homes as students were asked to move away from campus.

With players dispersed across the country, the usual preparation for the season has been greatly impacted. While the time between now and the season continues to shorten, the players lose out on more time to both physically and mentally prepare for the college football season.

“Just to put it in perspective, remember team that our players would be typically in spring ball. In fact, we'd be playing our spring game tomorrow, so that means they would have had all of that conditioning, and then normally, they come back in the summertime taking classes, working to earn internships and and working out, and we won't have that,” Smith said.

Smith and other Big Ten athletic directors have held conference calls over the past three weeks to discuss the problems that have arisen from the current state of things. With the emphasis on player safety at the forefront of Smith’s concerns about how athletes will be brought back into the usually routine, the recent discussions have included what the appropriate amount of time would be for an athlete to get ready for competition.

“Was that an eight-week, six-week, four-week schedule for them to reacclimate into a grueling, physical, competitive environment to make sure we avoid muscle tissue issues, sprains and strains and tendons and ligaments, and all the contusions, all those type of things that occur because you haven't been working out at the same level of intensity that we have historically prepared them,” Smith said. “So they just can't come back and play. Those days are gone.”

Smith talked about how the work to figure out the appropriate timeframe that an athlete needs to get ready for the season will take place before they discuss any models about how the season could be handled.

The longer the situation of social distancing persists, the more likely it is to creep into fall camp. Even if full camp is able to be held in its entirety, Smith talked about how there will still need to be a discussion about if a regular fall camp is enough time given the unique circumstances that preceded it.

“Do we feel we need a longer period of time to help them physically get back into the grind?” Smith said. “You know, maybe you need two weeks straight without pads. I don't know that. That's where the collaborative with the medical people, with the strength coaches and everybody across the country has to occur.”

While the season is still a long way out, the first dominoes for its return, suspension or cancellation will be put into place now. Whether things happen on schedule or not, Smith will certainly look out for the safety of his athletes before coming to any conclusions.