When Ohio State football players returned to campus for voluntary workouts last week following the coronavirus shutdown, they were reportedly required to sign an acknowledgment of risk waiver before their participation. The Columbus Dispatch obtained the waiver and reported Sunday that players were asked to the sign a “Buckeye Pledge.”
It asks players to “pledge to take responsibility for my own health and help stop the spread of the COVID-19.”
The document goes on to warn athletes that “although the university is following the coronavirus guidelines issued by the CDC and other experts to reduce the spread of infection, I can never be completely shielded from all risk of illness caused by COVID-19 or other infections.”
At Ohio State, those protocols include “submitting to coronavirus testing, reporting exposure to COVID-19, disclosing symptoms of the virus, including a fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, and remaining home if they feel sick.”
Something about the entire signing of a waiver rubbed Jemele Hill the wrong way.
The former ESPN analyst took to Twitter and blasted the Buckeyes for this practice.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NCAA stories via Google! Follow Us
To be fair, the Buckeyes are hardly the only football program, school or business using these kind of waivers as they reopen operation following a lengthy shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
These kind of waivers could become a standard in college football to the extent that fans might have to do the same when they are able to return to the stands.
