Ohio State football players asked to sign a COVID-19 waiver before returning to workouts

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Reports say Ohio State Buckeyes football players will have to sign a COVID-19 waiver before participating in team activities this summer, according to mulitple reports. Athletic Director Gene Smith confirmed the existence of the waiver.
Voluntary workouts began earlier this week in Columbus, and according to The Columbus Dispatch, the waiver was called "The Buckeye Pledge" and containted wording that had the players committing to participate in contact tracing efforts, and to report if they think they've been exposed.

Most importantly, the waiver acknowledges that the players take the risk of contracting COVID-19 even while following those protocols.

The Pledge asked players to "help stop the spread of the COVID-19" and accept that "I may be exposed to COVID-19 and other infections." Furthermore, the document states that "any failure to comply with my Buckeye Pledge ... may lead to immediate removal of athletic participation privileges (not my athletics scholarship) and/or the inability to use athletics facilities."

Parents of the players were also asked to sign the Pledge/waiver before attending workouts.

After the country shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic, many skeptics wondered if the NCAA football season would start on time, but measures like this that The Ohio State University is taking may ensure an on-time start date.

In Columbus, all players who showed up to voluntary workouts were tested upon returning, and anyone who tested positive for COVID-19 began a 14-day isolation period where they would be monitored. No details of those tests have been released by the university, however, citing privacy concerns.