Ohio State Tries to Backtrack on COVID-19 Waiver and Claim it's Not a Legal Document

Ohio State raised eyebrows yesterday for their unusual COVID-19 procedures, as they tried to make student athletes sign a risk waiver holding that they can't be 100% protected from infection, even if proper safety protocols are adhered to.

The Buckeyes have tried their best to do spin the story over the last 24 hours, claiming that the "Buckeye Pledge" isn't a legally binding document, but rather an "acknowledgment by our student athletes of their responsibility to keep themselves, fellow students, and their community safe."

Even though this might technically not be a legal document, the pledge still required the signature of a minor athlete's parents, which is standard practice in legally binding agreements.

Some might assume that there is no way that a university would use this agreement as evidence against a player should they contract the virus at some point in the near future, but we can't discount that exact scenario could happen. If they weren't going to do that, why even have this form at all?

Ohio State should not be allowed to weasel their way out of this one so quickly. At the end of the day, this is a major college program trying to do everything they can to wash their hands of responsibility should a player contract COVID-19. The fact that this letter even exists is an indictment of the school and athletic director Gene Smith.