Assumption of risk

Ohio State implements a different kind of pay to play.

When Ohio State football players returned to campus for voluntary workouts last week following the coronavirus shutdown, they were required to sign an acknowledgment of risk waiver before their participation.

The two-page document, obtained by The Dispatch through a public records request, outlines the health risks involved with workouts and other athletic activities, and calls for the athletes to follow strict health and safety protocols implemented by the school.

Referred to as a so-called 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.”

Hey, that seems fair.  After all, the school is taking responsibility for its own financial health.

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Today, in easy peasy

Don’t bring me down, Seth Emerson ($$).

But at Georgia, the two most recent seasons with both a new quarterback and new coordinator were, well, not good. The 2015 offense, coming off a record-setting year in which it ranked first in the SEC in offensive yards per play, struggled immensely. A year later a new coordinator and a freshman quarterback combined to actually fare worse. (The Bulldogs ranked 11^th in the SEC in YPP, worst season by far of the decade.)

Now you have the same scenario, plus no spring practice.

Now, if Jamie Newman is better than transfer Greyson Lambert and true freshman Jacob Eason and if only Todd Monken is better than Brian Schottenheimer and Jim Chaney, we’re all good.  Before you scoff, that record-setting year Seth references had Mike Bobo as the OC and Hutson Mason lining up under center.

Of course, they did have a spring practice.

The Eyes of Texas are upon you.

Without getting into the details of what Texas football players are asking the school for, this has got to chill the soul of every college football coach and administrator:

No donor-related events?  No recruiting?  I think they’d rather the kids kneel for the national anthem than that.

The heavy cream rises.

So, if we can’t say the current concentration of power is the same as it ever was, we can’t say it’s something totally new, either.

The question is, what does it take to get there now, and what does it take to stay there?