COLUMBUS – Buckeye football players begin the second phase of their summer workouts Friday, a 14-day period that will include up to 20 hours of activities per week.
Players are being routinely tested for COVID-19, Athletic Department spokesman Jerry Emig said.
The activities can include weight training, conditioning, walk-throughs and meetings but no sports equipment, other than footballs, are allowed.
Practice sessions, including “skill instruction” are not allowed until the beginning of preseason practice Aug. 7, Emig said.
Protocols remain in place requiring daily symptoms assessments, physical distancing, masks, hygiene, limited density in indoor spaces and cleaning procedures.
Players still cannot use the locker room, showers or players’ lounge and must dress and undress at their apartments, bringing used workout gear back the next day for daily cleaning by the equipment staff.
Athletes pick up clean workout clothes for the next day and receive food-to-go before leaving the practice facility, which is limited to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center weight room, indoor field and outdoor fields, as much as possible, Emig said.
The Buckeyes are scheduled to open their regular season Sept. against Rutgers after the cancellation of three non-conference games due to the pandemic.