Editorial

Ohio State Coach Ryan Day Says Players Who Opted Out ‘Don’t Love’ Football

Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters

David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
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Ohio State football coach Ryan Day wasn’t impressed with players opting out last season.

During the 2020 season, players could opt out because of coronavirus, but Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields led the charge get the games rolling. The man leading the Buckeyes thinks that’s the difference between a guy who loves the game and people who don’t. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)

 

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Day said the following in Peter King’s weekly column about Fields leading the charge to play and guys who opted out:

He put together this petition that the Big Ten athletes all signed saying that they want to play, but they want to play safely and that they don’t accept canceling the season. It was all led by Justin Fields. Where was everybody else? Where were the guys who were opting out then? You know, you don’t love the game if you’re doing something like that. This kid loves the game.

I’m sure the outrage crowd will sound off on Day saying players who opted out don’t love the game, but I understand where he’s coming from.

Once it became clear that it was safe to play football, there was no reason at all to not get on the field. Multiple players who opted out eventually returned.

So, it’s hard to disagree with Day’s thoughts on the situation.

 

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Competitors want to compete on a day in and day out basis. That’s just a fact, and if you wanted to be on the field last season, you would have been.

I understand being skittish in July or August before the situation stabilized a bit. By the time October rolled around, football was underway and there’s no reason for people to not be playing.

 

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Let us know in the comments whether or not you agree with Day’s comments about players who opted out.