Gene Smith 'not there yet' on pressing questions about season

The Big Ten’s decision to play a conference-only schedule for football and other fall sports on July 9 raised more than a few questions about the potential start of the season, but there haven’t been many answers in the subsequent weeks.

Although Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith told 97.1 The Fan Wednesday that he’s comfortable with safety procedures as preseason walkthroughs begin Friday, most matters beyond that are still uncertain.

“We haven’t gotten to the point where we’re thinking, ‘Cancellation of the season’ or we’re thinking, ‘Spring ball.’ We’re not there yet,” Smith said. “We know it’s a possibility, but we’re not there yet.”

Smith said he’s “110 percent comfortable” with the administration’s ability to manage health concerns in team-controlled environments during voluntary workouts at this stage, but he’s less confident in protocol for the start of preseason practices Aug. 7.

However, Smith said that players have embraced “policing each other” in regards to health and safety. Another step players have taken is promoting the usage of face masks on social media with the #IWantASeason hashtag.

“Our players want to play. That was their idea to do that, that was not something that we said in administration, or the coaches said, ‘We need you to do that,’ that’s an idea that surfaced through conversations that they want to do that,” Smith said.

Smith said that wearing a mask isn’t a political issue, and that wearing one is just about caring for one’s self and those around them.

“To me, it’s a simple thing to do. You just get into the habit of putting on a mask,” he said.

When it comes to other questions surrounding the start of the season, like how Big Ten tie-breakers will be handled or what will happen if one of the states represented has different safety measures than the others, Smith said discussions among athletic directors simply haven’t gotten that far.

A more overarching topic on Smith’s mind is how some players may be impacted if they can’t play at all this season.

“We have young people whose futures are aligned with their opportunity to play this fall,” Smith said. “We got to make sure, as best we can, we don’t overreact and we give them a chance.”

Smith remained hopeful that the flexibility granted to Big Ten schools by canceling the nonconference schedule will aid in addressing virus-related issues, and said that the conference has the ability to slide back the start of the season if necessary.

But if the obvious financial impact on universities across the country wasn’t reason enough for Big Ten administrators to exhaust every possibility to have a season, Smith said the positive impact of sports on morale in America during the pandemic is something to consider as well.

“Athletics can help galvanize our country, our communities in a storm or crisis,” Smith said. “I think if we’re fortunate enough to have sports, it will help us as we try and transition back to the new next.”