Well, here we go again. The Ohio State and Big Ten football back-and-forth volleys in the media continue, and we’ve got another report of some pretty encouraging news according to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.
At his Tuesday news briefing, DeWine was asked whether he thought the Big Ten did the right thing by postponing the fall football season. If there’s been any Governor in the country on the leading edge of conservatism with the coronavirus pandemic, it’s been DeWine. He also is a season ticket holder at Ohio State, so take all of that into consideration for what it’s worth.
“Well, I don’t know if they did the right thing or not,” said DeWine at his coronavirus breifing. “But I certainly think there is a decent chance of there being a season in football for the Big Ten for Ohio State, which is what we’re really concerned about. I talked to Gene Smith about that issue earlier today. I am not going to disclose our conversation other than I inquired about it. He told me that it’s still in play. It’s still very much a possibility.”
Well if that isn’t a salacious quote, I don’t know what is. With all the silence from the Big Ten brass in combination with all the reports coming from all corners of the conference of a shell game going on behind the scenes, it’s clear everything is still in motion.
In fact, just this morning, we had news on the opposite end of despair for many when NBC sports talk show host Dan Patrick cited inside sources claiming that the Big Ten had too much dissension for October football to occur.
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DeWine went on to express confidence in the protocols and monitoring that Ohio State has in place, even going as far as agreeing that the Buckeyes should be able to play.
“But as you know, it’s no secret, (OSU President) Dr. Johnson’s position and Ohio State’s position was to play. I concurred in that. And look, the key is always going to be how it’s done. And as I have told some people, I don’t know if I’ve said publicly or not — but athletes at Ohio State — with their capability of testing very, very, very frequently, could potentially be the safest people there with a couple things coming together.”
The Governor then wrapped up his inside information by reiterating that the possibility of seeing OSU football in October is nowhere near dead.
“So, we’ll see. I don’t know what is going to happen in regard to the Buckeyes. But I do know that it is still very much in play.”
What will the end result be? Here’s hoping to the safe return of Big Ten and Ohio State football sooner rather than later.
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