While testifying at a Senate subcommittee hearing on Wednesday morning, Ohio State president emeritus Michael Drake faced multiple questions about the “Buckeye Pledge” signed by OSU student-athletes last month.
In response to a query from Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) who described the document signed by Ohio State student-athletes as a “liability waiver,” Drake – who concluded his tenure as Ohio State president on Tuesday but is still the chairman of the NCAA's Board of Governors – refuted that description and, as athletic director Gene Smith and other Ohio State representatives have said previously, said the Buckeye Pledge will not used as a legal waiver for the university.