Gene Smith thinks Ohio State can still play Fall sports

In response to a letter released by Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren, Athletic Director Gene Smith believes Ohio State can return to play Fall sports safely.

The Big Ten has been getting absolutely roasted for its decision to cancel Fall sports, specifically football. They have not come out with any discernable reason for doing so except vaguely citing “medical experts”. Now we finally have at least some clarity as to why they did it.

Kevin Warren released a letter detailing the reasons why the Big Ten made this decision. Specifically, he notes that medical experts had concerns about contact tracing, having accurate tests readily available to all members, and student body spikes in COVID cases.

While Warren claims that the presidents of the universities were “unanimously” in favor of postponing Fall sports, Gene Smith went ahead and published his own response. He essentially refutes that claim and says that the Buckeyes have enough in place to play sports now.

Smith claims that President Johnson has been in “100% alignment” with himself and coach Ryan Day. We know how much they both wanted to play football in the Fall, so Warren’s claim that the presidents were unanimous is completely bogus.

Perhaps the biggest quote on his statement is this:

"The Ohio State University is confident that we have the safety protocols and rigorous safeguards in place for our student-athletes to practice and return to competition immediately."

That is a big statement refuting what Warren believes is the case. Smith is fighting back, and I like it. He’s showing that Ohio State is going to start throwing its weight around. He is making sure that whatever lies Warren is trying to spin will not fly.

It is going to be very interesting to see how Warren responds to Smith specifically. Warren has had two weeks to decide what to say, and clearly he has spewed more lies. Ohio State clearly believes they can play Fall sports safely and they are exploring avenues to do so.

How they would be able to skirt around the Big Ten and still play football remains unclear, but there are rumors floating around. We will keep you guys updated on any response the Big Ten conference has and further comments from Ohio State.