Retiring Ohio State President Michael Drake "remains optimistic about the Buckeyes having a 2020 football season," according to Nathan Baird of the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. Drake said that work "continues on a plan to return athletes to practice and competition." Drake: "Our hope and intention is to safely have a football season, with an audience spaced out in our stadium, but we haven’t made any final decisions." Drake said that OSU will "soon announce a limited pilot testing program for students, faculty and staff who are part of the phased return -- including athletes." He added that the results of that program "will inform decisions about wider testing for the fall." Baird notes OSU football players are "scheduled to resume voluntary workouts on Monday." Those workouts will be "limited to 10 or fewer players and will involve CDC distancing guidelines." AD Gene Smith recently said that his office has "prepared for football attendance based on different distancing guidelines." Those policies could "limit attendance in the nearly 105,000-seat stadium to as little as 20-22,000 or as much as 40-50,000" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 6/4).
MAKING THE CUT: In Toledo, Kyle Rowland notes given the expectation of reduced capacity, a "quandary is fast approaching Ohio State’s athletic department: how many tickets will be available, and who will get them?" Smith said, “We have to look at those and come up with some strategies within those groups. Our point system has held the test of time, so that would probably be one. Then, of course, the parents and the guests of our student-athletes and coaches would be a high priority. We’d come up with a strategy, but we haven’t nailed that down.” Meanwhile, the season-ticket renewal deadline Friday, "two months after the original date of March 27," and the renewal rate was 88% (44,320 tickets). OSU "sold about 10,000 tickets during the two-month extension." There were "nearly 51,000 season tickets" in '19, a renewal rateof about 95% (TOLEDO BLADE, 6/4).
