Ohio State is pausing all voluntary athletic workouts, football included, after receiving the results of COVID-19 testing of its student-athletes, the school announced Wednesday. The university did not release how many of its athletes tested positive for the virus, citing privacy concerns.
The Buckeyes are just the latest FBS program to put a halt to voluntary workouts following COVID-19 testing. North Carolina announced Wednesday that its voluntary football workouts would be paused for at least a week after an outbreak of positive tests within the athletic department.
Athletes who test positive at Ohio State are required to self-isolate for at least 14 days while receiving daily check-ups from the athletic department's medical staff. The pause to voluntary workouts also affects Ohio State men's and women's basketball, field hockey, men's and women's soccer and women's volleyball.
In regards to the number of positive cases, Ohio State's announcement said the school is "not sharing cumulative COVID-19 information publicly as it could lead to the identification of specific individuals and compromise their medical privacy."
That policy is at odds with those adopted by many other universities as well as with the testimony that recently retired Ohio State president Michael Drake gave before a Congressional committee last week.
Drake, who is the chair of the NCAA Board of Governors, was asked if he would use his authority to require colleges to publicly disclose the number of COVID-19 cases. He cited privacy laws before conceding that "I believe it's appropriate for the schools to report, and with proper privacy protections in place for the individuals, I believe that's a reasonable thing."
