COLUMBUS – Buckeye head coach Ryan Day wants answers from the Big Ten about when the conference’s plans to start the football season.
In a statement released Thursday, Day said communication with the Big Ten has been “disappointing and often unclear.”
Statement from Ohio State Head Coach Ryan Day (Sept. 10, 2020)
While I understand the Big Ten Conference’s decision to postpone the football season because of health and safety considerations, the communication of information from the Big Ten following the decision has been disappointing and often unclear. However, we still have an opportunity to give our young men what they have worked so hard for: a chance to safely compete for a national championship this fall. I couldn’t possibly be prouder of how this team, our medical personnel, athletic director and president have stayed together and managed through this extremely difficult time with so many unanswered questions. The Big Ten medical subcommittee has done an excellent job of creating a safe pathway toward returning to play in mid-October. These young men and their parents have asked so many questions that I do not have an answer to, but the one that hurts the most is “Why can these other teams and players play and we can’t?” Duke is playing Notre Dame, and Clemson is playing Wake Forest this weekend. Our players want to know: why can’t they play?
The Big Ten announced on Aug. 11 it was postponing its fall football season because of concerns about playing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Pac-12 soon followed suit, but six other major college football conferences are still forging ahead.
The Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference are kicking off this weekend.
Day says he and his players deserve answers about why they aren’t playing when other schools are, such as Notre Dame and top-ranked Clemson, are.
Governor Mike DeWine agrees that Ohio State should be allowed to play because the university’s athletes are tested often and the players have an incentive to follow precautions.
“I think there’s a pretty good argument that it makes sense to try and have that season,” he said at his regular televised coronavirus briefing Thursday.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has said Ohio State could sue the conference over lost revenue and for breaking its contract with member schools.
Reportedly, the presidents and chancellors of Big Ten universities will vote this weekend on changing their minds about postponing fall sports, including football.