Tag: Gene Smith

Ohio State athletics projects $107 million deficit for 2020-2021

The Ohio State athletics department projects a $107 million deficit for 2020-2021 due to lost revenue from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to leave all areas of life in its wake.

The latest is the updated budget projection for the Ohio State athletic department, and it’s not good news. According to a release from the university, OSU athletics projects a $107 million loss for 2020-2021 academic year.

As you would suspect, the loss is a result of lost revenue from — among other things — ticket sales which account for roughly $64 million alone. Without a full season and without fans in the stands for a renewed Big Ten season, the downfall is still projected to be significant.

Despite the gloom outlook, Ohio State does not plan on cutting any of its 36 sports, though there will be further budget cuts including the following:

  • 48 members of the athletic training staff and strength and conditioning staff will have a 5-day intermittent furlough, to be completed between Oct. 6 and June 30, 2021;
  • 213 staff members are assigned to a 10-day intermittent furlough, to be completed between Oct. 6 and June 30, 2021;
  • 84 staff members will go on a 60-day, continuous furlough or redeployment from Oct. 9 through Dec. 31;
  • 47 contracted staff members will be asked to take a voluntary, 5 percent salary reduction between Oct. 1 and June 30, 2021; and
  • A permanent reduction in force will eliminate 25 full-time athletics positions.

The four staff members in the athletics department’s Sports Psychology and Wellness Services team will not be furloughed in a much-needed nod to mental health.

“Our student-athletes are our primary responsibility,” athletic director Gene Smith said in a statement. “They have and will continue to come first. We have put together a responsible and conservative budget for this fiscal year, which assumes full support for our student-athletes. In the midst of this devastating pandemic, we remain committed to providing a safe and excellent academic and athletic experience for all of our student-athletes.

“Like our colleagues in the Big Ten, and across the country, intercollegiate athletics at Ohio State will have to significantly adjust as the pandemic will have a long term impact. We will implement a long term deficit recovery plan but will continue to focus on serving our student-athletes at the highest level.”

Going forward, Ohio State will continue to have a $180 million athletics budget. The breakdown includes $25 million in athlete scholarships, $3.6 million for academic support, $3 million for meals and nutrition, and $1.8 million for sports medicine and sports psychology services.

All we can say here at Buckeyes Wire is that our thoughts are with all of those effected and we hope this unprecedented and extraordinary time rounds the corner to some sense of normalcy soon.

 

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Ohio State ties on the Big Ten return to play committees

There is a pretty good Ohio State flavor on the Big Ten Return to Play Task Force. From the Steering Committee to the Medical Subcommittee.

In case you haven’t heard, there’s a pretty important presentation going on today in the Big Ten that will hopefully lead to a potential vote to start the football season sometime in October. That presentation is being put on by the Big Ten Medical Subcommittee and is being shown to the Big Ten Steering Committee.

That’s a lot of committee speak, and you may be wondering who is on all of these hard-working decision making bodies that could impact your plans this fall and whether or not Ohio State football is a part of it.

Well, thanks to the wonder of the internet and Twitter, we know who all is involved in these sorts of things. The Big Ten released information on who all is taking part on these committees and there’s a decent Ohio State flavor to it.

The following OSU ties are on all of the folks working hard to bring Big Ten football to a television set or streaming device near you soon.

Big Ten Steering Committee

  • Ohio State President Kristina Johnson

Medical Committee and Executive Committee

  • Ohio State doctor Jim Borchers

Football Scheduling Committee

  • Ohio State head coach Ryan Day

TV Subcommittee

  • Ohio State AD Gene Smith

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Let’s hope this thing goes somewhere today. If you hear rumblings of a vote tomorrow, then that means things are moving in the right direction.

October still in play for Ohio State football according to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, AD Gene Smith

During a briefing, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said he spoke with Ohio State AD Gene Smith Tuesday, and that October football is still in play

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.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announces allowance for fall sports in 2020
USA TODAY Sports

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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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Ohio State AD Gene Smith confirms Big Ten discussing Thanksgiving football start

According to the Columbus Dispatch, Ohio State AD Gene Smith has confirmed the Big Ten is looking at starting football around Thanksgiving.

Earlier today, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel broke the news that the Big Ten was reportedly pivoting like a beaten and battered ballerina and is now considering a plan to start up a football season around Thanksgiving weekend. It cites sources close to the situation but did not name any names.

The Columbus Dispatch (subscription may be required) took it a step further. It reached out to Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith for comment, and it appears that yes, it’s true. Big Ten officials are indeed at least looking at the possibility of having some Turkey surrounded by the return of Big Ten football.

In response to the idea, Smith responded to the Dispatch’s inquiries with the statement “multiple plans are and have been discussed.” In addition, though, it doesn’t mean that’s the leading option right now. Smith later responded that it’s just one scenario being looked at.

“No leader,” Smtih told the Dispatch, “just multiple ideas. Working closely with our television partners.”

This all comes in the face of football parent upheavals, an online petition from Justin Fields, FOIA letter requests from attorney Tom Mars, a lawsuit from Nebraska players, and more. All the pressure appears to be working to force the Big Ten to reconsider its decision.

Gene Smith has been relatively quiet in the midst of all the turmoil, but he released a statement and seems to be aligned with Ohio State’s testing protocols and readiness to play sooner rather than later.

In a statement released just after Kevin Warren’s open letter to reiterate the Big Ten’s stance on waiting until the spring, Smith said in part … “I want to share our plans for getting our student-athletes back to competition as soon as possible … “While a decision has been made by the presidents of the Big Ten Conference to postpone the fall season, we view this as a temporary delay, and Dr. Johnson has directed us to prepare for the possibility of bringing at least some of our fall sports back to practice and competition by the end of the year. We are actively planning for the winter and spring seasons for all sports, including the return of football.”

Now, it looks like an earlier return to football at Ohio State before the end of the year might just be at least remotely possible.

Dispatch: Ohio State AD Gene Smith confirms Big Ten’s plan to play in early 2021 involves domed stadiums

In a report by the Columbus Dispatch, Ohio State AD Gene Smith confirmed consideration of domed stadiums for Big Ten football in winter.

Winter, meet Big Ten football in the midst of trying to play during a global pandemic.

According to a report from the Columbus Dispatch, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith has confirmed the Big Ten’s plan of playing football this spring or winter involves the consideration of domed stadiums. There’s not a ton of those types of venues in the conference’s footprint, but there are those in Detroit, Indianapolis, and Minnesota. Indoor stadiums in St. Louis and even Syracuse, NY are also being considered.

The Dispatch reached out to Smith to confirm the report and got a text reply of “yes and others” when asked about those potential sites.

There has yet to be a plan or schedule disseminated for the return of football in the Big Ten, but according to other sources, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day’s proposal of starting in early January is starting to gain some traction among Big Ten officials and administrators, and may even be the preferred timing now.

One of the main concerns of a spring schedule is the extremely condensed timeline of a season and the 2021 NFL Draft. Those players that could be a part of the draft process may be more likely to play a season that begins and ends earlier, rather than playing one that ends or crosses over the dates for the NFL combine and draft.

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Another big concern would be the weather in a part of the country where the weather transitions somewhere between tolerable and awful during the deep throes of winter. Those concerns become even more of a concern in locations like Minneapolis and Madison.

Earlier this week, we heard reports from Sandy Barbour of Penn State that a schedule or further plan for a Big Ten winter or spring schedule could be coming out this week.

However, we still have yet to have any formal announcement from the league, but it does appear as things are beginning to take shape. And yes, they look like they’ll take on the shape of a few domes.

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Ohio State receives FOIA letter from well-known attorney and player advocate Tom Mars

Ohio State confirmed receipt of a letter from attorney Tom Mars requesting details around the Big Ten’s decision to postpone fall football.

It has been widely reported that several Freedom of Information Act Letters (FOIA) went out to Big Ten institutions requesting information and communications surrounding the league’s decision to postpone the fall football season. Those letters were drafted by well-known attorney and player advocate Tom Mars’ office and reportedly went to all thirteen public Big Ten members. Northwestern was excluded because they are not subject to open records law.

Buckeyes Wire has spoken to Mars and received confirmation that a letter was sent to Ohio State as a part of the effort for more transparency surrounding the decision and what types of communications went into such a monumental decision that affected so many.

“I can confirm that I’ve sent comprehensive FOIA requests to all Big 10 public universities (13) per rights afforded by the public records laws in eleven different states,” confirmed Mars in an email to Buckeyes Wire.

In response, a spokesman for Ohio State has confirmed the university received the letter from Mars’ office last Saturday. OSU also acknowledged receipt of the communication to Mars and is says it is working on a reply through email.

Buckeyes Wire is also in possession of the FOIA letter request that can be found in the below attachment.

Ohio State FOIA Request

The request is broad and detailed and is looking for all manners of communication that would have occurred between athletic director Gene Smith and president-elect Kristina Johnson with Big Ten representatives.

Under Ohio Open Records Law, OSU’s response falls under a rather ambiguous “reasonable period of time,” meaning it could be longer than other Big Ten schools and states that have a specific timeframe assigned their applicable legislation.

We’ll have much more on the status of all of this over the next few days.

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Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

We have a forum and message board now. Get in on the conversation about Ohio State athletics by joining the Buckeyes Wire Forum.

Kevin Warren’s background likely played into his desire to postpone the Big Ten football season

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren’s background and experience likely played a role in his decision to postpone the Big Ten football season. 

Kevin Warren, the Big Ten commissioner, made his final decision on fall sports Tuesday in an open letter to the Big Ten community, and Gene Smith doubled down with his own statement. But who exactly is Kevin Warren? Warren has a long story of how he became the commissioner and we’ll try to sum it all up for you.

Following the news from Gene Smith, after he reiterated Kevin Warren’s message that the Big Ten, and thus Ohio State, would not play this fall. There are a lot of people who are saying that Smith is bowing to Warren and he should instead take a stand. Kevin Warren has a long history in football, and him deciding to cancel the season might have more to do with his background than anything else.

Warren is a lawyer by schooling, more specifically, sports law. He worked with former SEC commissioner Michael Slive prior to starting his own agency where he represented several former Kansas City Chiefs. He was eventually hired by Dick Vermiel as a front office/legal personnel for the Rams.

From there Warren went to work as legal counsel for the Detroit Lions. Here is where his history starts to get a little murky in some ways. He went to work for a firm in Phoenix and assisted the Wirf family in buying the Vikings. It was right after the purchase that Warren became the Chief Legal Officer for the Vikings. He then went on to be the COO, before becoming Big Ten commissioner.

While he was in the NFL, Roger Goodell placed him on the emergency planning committee. Between his law background and being on the committee is where I think his decision was made regarding the season. One thing lawyers are wary of is liability. Fear of reprisal if a player gets sick, or worse, probably was too much for Warren to decide any other way.

I don’t know that for certain of course, but it’s not hard to read between the lines, especially when considering Warren’s background.

The Buckeyes will not be playing this fall, and the cautious nature and legal background of Warren probably played a large role. Gene Smith is not going to rebel against Warren — at least not publicly — even if Warren needs Ohio State more than Ohio State needs him. It will be interesting to see if there is any fallout long term over the decision.

It’ll also be interesting to see if there are further actions resulting from all of this.

Ohio State releases statement in response to Big Ten’s open letter to not revisit fall sports

Ohio State AD Gene Smith released a statement in response to Kevin Warren’s open letter to the Big Ten community. It was an interesting one.

In case you missed it, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren finally crawled out from under wherever he was in the face of some mighty aggressive criticism hitting the conference over the last week. It’s been a war on several fronts, and it took eight days for the man in charge of the richest college football conference to finally speak.

If you haven’t seen the complete open letter Warren unleashed on the world today, you can find it here.

However, suffice to say, the letter won’t squash all of the parents, fans, players, media, and administrators’ efforts. They have been calling for more transparency, a clearer plan and path towards resuming competitive environments, and even — yes — a continued fight to allow student-athletes to choose their own fate.

All of what Warren said was not lost on the folks at Ohio State. Shortly after the open letter, a university spokesman released a statement from athletic director Gene Smith.

We have it in its entirety on the next page. It’s an interesting statement because it doesn’t exactly throw all of OSU’s weight behind Warren’s statement. At the same time, it doesn’t go completely against the Big Ten’s decision.

Oh, the tangled and politically correct web we weave at times.

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Next … Complete statement from Ohio State AD Gene Smith

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Are Ohio State administrators still working on a fall football season? One report says yes.

According to a report by longtime college football writer Jeff Snook, Ohio State AD Gene Smith and others are still working on fall season.

Each morning I wake up and wonder where the saga of a lost season for Ohio State and Big Ten football stands. And each day, without fail, there seems to be a new development. First, there was Ryan Day and Scott Frost both vowing to fight still for their teams. That was followed by some letters  to Kevin Warren and the Big Ten penned by football parents at Ohio State, Iowa, Penn State, Nebraska, and Michigan.

That was followed up by an online petition to overturn the Big Ten’s decision to postpone the fall football season organized by Justin Fields. The former Heisman finalist and Big Ten Player of the Year also appeared on ESPN radio to help push the efforts. And … not to lose site of it, OSU DB Shaun Wade’s father, Randy, is organizing a peaceful protest outside of the Big Ten offices in Chicago for Friday morning (time to take a PTO day Warren).

But it’s not done. Now we have a very reputable source reporting that Ohio State is still working behind the scenes to get five other teams to join it in a Big Ten only fall season. Jeff Snook, an Ohio State graduate and an author of several college football books, has been using his sources behind the scenes to confirm that, despite what’s been stated publicly, that there is indeed some wheeling and dealing still going on outside of the public’s eye.

He detailed it all as a Facebook post on his personal profile Tuesday night.

The gist of it is that Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State, and Iowa are all on board to play a schedule amongst themselves, but that they need two more teams to join in to get half of the league on board. There are efforts to get Wisconsin and Michigan on board who apparently have differing opinions between the presidents and football administrators.

The season would kick off somewhere around September 26, and would not culminate with a Big Ten Championship Game.

Obviously, if this is all true, time is of the essence here since preparations also have to be put in place to get a so-called spring season off the ground, so if things don’t materialize in the next couple of weeks, this could go quietly into the night.

Either way, there appear to be some legs still to getting teams in the Big Ten to play a competitive schedule in the fall. So, is there still hope? I think it’s still a tall order, but it’s just one more log on the fire of this rolling inferno of push back and support to have the Big Ten reverse course on its decision to shelve the fall season.

You can read the complete transcript of Snook on the next page.

Next … Full text of Jeff Snook Facebook report

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Gators News: August 13, 2020

The hits keep coming this week, with college football still trying to figure out if, when and how it will play amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The hits keep coming this week, with college football still trying to figure out if, when and how it will play a 2020 fall season amidst the novel coronavirus pandemic.

At the top of the news, USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg asks if the College Football Playoff can go on despite the Big Ten and Pac-12 bowing out of the year. With the madness and uncertainty that COVID-19 has brought into the sports world, is a championship among the remaining teams really worth it?

Meanwhile, in Columbus, Ohio State will not pursue a fall season despite rumors to the contrary, according to Athletic Director Gene Smith. The OSU AD offered the following statement.

“Ohio State has continued its communications with the Big Ten Conference regarding a scenario to still play fall football game but has now determined that this would not be an allowable opportunity for us to move forward. We are 100 percent focused on supporting the health and safety and academic success of our student-athletes and on working with the Big Ten to develop a spring plan for our sports as expeditiously as possible.”

And last, but not least, Dan Wolken gives his opinion on Nebraska bailing out on Big Ten, claiming that it may be more than bluster. The Cornhuskers have themselves in a bit of a pickle, but it has yet to be determined if it was the right move or not.

Around the Swamp

It’s great to be a Florida Gator!

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