OSU wants fans to show PSU respect, empathy

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

Ohio State is going all out to make sure Penn State feels at home when it goes on the road.

A multi-front initiative designed to promote good sportsmanship, respect for opponents and empathy between players, coaches and fans is under way at the university.

There’s a short video on YouTube advising good sportsmanship, public messages from student leaders, notes on Twitter and Facebook, heightened security and assurances of safety from everyone from athletic director Gene Smith to coach Luke Fickell.

Penn State, of course, is still reeling from revelations 10 days ago that a former assistant football coach was charged with sexual abuse of young boys. Coach Joe Paterno was fired and the university’s president and athletic director also lost their jobs amid criticism that they did not do enough to stop the alleged crimes.

With Penn State (8-2, 5-1 Big Ten) visiting Ohio Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. to take on the Buckeyes (6-4, 3-3), many are counseling fans to be respectful to Penn State and its followers.

As Ohio State student body president Nick Messenger put it: “It’s important to remember the victims of this tragedy. But it’s also important to remember that our visitors are not the people to whom we should direct our anger.”

Several Ohio State athletes appear on a 20-second video (www.youtu.be/HEy1zdwOMaA ) that had received almost 7,000 hits by Wednesday evening.

In it, Aaron Craft and Jared Sullinger of the third-ranked men’s basketball team and football players Mike Brewster, J.B. Shugarts, Solomon Thomas and Evan Blankenship plead for fans to show respect to Penn State’s players, coaches and fans.

Ohio State isn’t providing any details about added security for the game. But Penn State interim coach Tom Bradley was promised that he and his team would be safe in Columbus.

“One of the things that Coach (Fickell) wanted to assure me that every [step] would be taken for our safety and my players’ safety and we didn’t have to worry about that,” Bradley said.

Ben Jay, an associate athletic director at Ohio State, said extra attention would be paid to visitors on Saturday.

Stadium ushers have also been told to be particularly attuned to how Penn State’s fans are treated, Jay said.

After the pregame coin toss on Saturday, players and coaches from both teams will meet at midfield and exchange handshakes.

A week ago at Penn State, Nebraska and the Nittany Lions met in the center of the field for a pregame prayer.

Ohio State defensive co-coordinator Paul Haynes said after Wednesday’s practice he liked the idea.

“It shows our support for them,” he said.