Ohio State Chose to Pause Team Activities, Not Mandated by Big Ten
"Could we have played today? Sure. Was it the right thing to do? No."
Gene Smith was straightforward and honest with the media this afternoon in explaining what has happened at Ohio State this past week - perhaps one of the most difficult weeks he's ever endured as Athletic Director at Ohio State.
Ohio State is trying to do the responsible thing and they're in a very tricky spot. Smith, head coach Ryan Day and team physician Jim Borchers don't have to speak about what's at stake this season - everyone knows it. But they have a responsibility to keep everyone as safe and healthy as possible and Smith made it clear they are making decisions with that at the forefront of their minds.
The following information is taken directly from the Big Ten Return to Action CoVID-19 Protocols:
The Big Ten Conference will use data provided by each Chief Infection Officer (CInO) to make decisions about the continuation of practice and competition, as determined by Test Positivity Rate and Population Positivity Rate, based on a seven-day rolling average:
- · Test positivity rate (number of positive tests divided by total number of tests administered):
- Green 0-2%
- Orange 2-5%
- Red >5%
- Population positivity rate (number of positive individuals divided by total population at risk):
- Green 0-3.5%
- Orange 3.5-7.5%
- Red >7.5%
Dr. Borchers acknowledged that Ohio State eclipsed the 7.5 percent threshold for the Population Positivity Rate, but not that five percent threshold in the Test Positivity Rate.
"The thresholds that the Big Ten has put in place, that the medical subcommittee has put in place - I don't think any team in our league has actually hit those," Smith said. "I don't think so. I might be wrong, but I don't think so. But we are making a decision not just on the thresholds, we are making a decision based upon what we see ... in our particular case, what we are seeing is a community-type of spread. We didn't see spikes in specific areas.
"The standards the thresholds define are guideposts and you have to really understand you culture, your environment, your athletes, what's going on where they live, what they do, everything in that space. In our facilities, we know you're safe. But we still live in a community. That's our challenge."
Ohio State's Best Path to the College Football Playoff
Smith mentioned right off the bat in his news conference that Franklin County's Level 4 distinction by the Ohio Department of Health is a challenge, because the Buckeyes are right in the heart of the county, and while they have created a very effective bubble to this point, they live and work in one of the hardest hit areas currently anywhere in the country.
Where Ohio State goes from here is hard to know for certain. It's a day-by-day path and Smith says his main focus is on getting student-athletes and coaches everything they need to get and stay healthy. Their sole goal is focused on giving themselves the best chance to play next Saturday against Michigan State - not the Big Ten title or a College Football Playoff berth.
Ryan Day also mentioned that he thinks it would be enough time to get ready for a game if the team could have a good hard practice on Thursday and a walk-through on Friday.
For now, we'll have to wait and see how the week goes.
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