Ohio State AD 'not 100% comfortable yet' with playing football in 2020
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Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith appears more hesitant than some of his peers about whether the 2020 college football season should be played amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I'm not 100% comfortable yet," Smith said Wednesday, according to The Athletic's Bill Landis. "That's one of the things with this process, you constantly get educated. I'm hopeful that I'm going to reach 100% comfort, but I'm not there yet."
Despite his reservations, Smith said he's hopeful there will be a national solution for college football in 2020 and is confident a plan can be created and implemented to host between 20,000 and 30,000 fans inside Ohio Stadium, per Kyle Rowland of the Toledo Blade.
The Buckeyes' athletic center is set to open June 8, but Smith noted only 10 student-athletes will be allowed in the facility at one time, according to Dan Hope of Eleven Warriors.
Smith added that no decision has been made regarding coronavirus testing for athletes and believes six weeks prior to the campaign is the "best-case scenario" for players to return to full-team practices.
Ohio State is scheduled to open its season at home against Bowling Green on Sept. 5.