Ohio State Football Reflecting on Collective Sacrifice During Thanksgiving Holiday

The Buckeyes have given up a lot to keep the season moving forward in a healthy way.

2020 has been a challenging year for most of us. It's been said that you don't really appreciate what you have until it's gone. And considering how this year has unfolded, that rings especially true.

Thanksgiving is a day for reflection and a meal with family and friends, but it's an attitude we try to keep each day of the year. 

All of those associated with Ohio State football have made more sacrifices the last several months than most people probably realize. Fighting an invisible enemy is difficult and the stakes are as high as it gets - both from a personal health standpoint and the implications of trying to win a national championship on the field. But those collective sacrifices have brought this tight-knit team even closer together during this special time of year.

"I'm certainly grateful for my family and everything they've done to support me during this time," Ryan Day told the media this week. "I haven't been around much. It's been very difficult on them. It's a major sacrifice. I'm grateful for the players and the coaching staff who have also sacrificed so much to be away from their families. I'm grateful to be part of such a great family. We've stuck together and worked through a crazy year. But I'm proud of the way that we've handled ourselves, proud of the way this team has stuck together ... I'm very honored to be the head coach of the Buckeyes."

Many of the players and coaches haven't seen their families in months as they've tried to keep their makeshift bubble intact.

"It's hard and you can't really change the fact that it's going to be hard," Jonathon Cooper said. Cooper is a Columbus-area native with family nearby and he won't be able to see them this week. "But the way I try to look at it is keeping perspective. We are not the only ones going through stuff right now. I feel like the whole country is going through troubling times right now and trying to figure everything out. I feel like what we have at our advantage ... is knowing we have each other. That makes it not as tough."

Ohio State's game on Saturday at Illinois could be in jeopardy as the Buckeyes reportedly have several CoVID cases in the locker room right now, but the game is still currently on as-scheduled.

Regardless of when they take the field again, Ohio State football has much to be grateful for and they're taking today to have a meal together and celebrate the holiday and their collective sacrifice. 

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