I am embarrassed to be an Ohio State double grad. I expected more from the president and the board. Why is such behavior condoned—and given only a slap on the wrist? Is it true that the only thing Ohio State will ever really care about is football? I truly thought my university was better than this.
3
Sure maybe Smith should have been fired earlier. But Meyer's boss knew about the 2015 incident. No charges filed. To lay the whole thing on Meyer is unfair. I am sure Smith's wife and kids would have been a whole lot better off if he'd been fired earlier.
The only one who would have been better off is Meyer. But he kept him on maybe for the very reason that he had a family to support. And out of loyalty to his grandfather. Crucify him for it why don't you?
1
Urban Meyer should be fired.
This is typical of Ohio State University athletics: Big 10 Football without the academics.
6
Money always wins. Football is king at OSU. Doing what is right is superfluous to the ad and TV dollars the team brings in.
5
I have hard time with de facto punishments that are not strictly speaking a direct punishment for a defined crime. If there is such a thing as a crime for failure to report another crime such as sexual assault, then let the culprit suffer a defined punishment for that crime. What's happening with sexual-related offenses these days is a hodge-podge of sometimes hysterical cultural codes that just don't answer to a strict and strictly defined legal code covering such things. And please, sports fans and haters, I'm not remotely excusing Meyer here. He gets off with a wrist-slap, while a few hundred miles away in Pennsylvania Roman Catholic authorities whose sins were complicity in exactly the same kind of negligence are suffering humiliations that will smear their lives and reputations for generations to come. Why don't we get honest, America? We don't worship David's Star or Christ's Cross. We worship a sport and its idols.
5
I guess I missed the rule change in America when anything that ever occurs in you life somehow is connected to your job.
The irony of the Left’s new role as morality tyrants is overwhelming.
I don’t care if this guy was arrested for DUI - as long as he had a valid license when driving a company vehicle.
I don’t care if this guy was accused of domestic violence, (whether or not he was charged or even convicted), he was paid to be a strength coach, not a sensitivity trainer.
Apparently in America now, we have affirmative action to encourage employers to hire convicted murderers, rapists, burglars and thieves, but anyone accused of insensitivity or a politically incorrect action, must be fired instantly.
Can you say cognitive dissonance.
As for me, I’ll continue to hire the best man or woman for the job. I just don’t care what happens in his or her home, or with whom he or she has consensual sex.
I just don’t care.
5
Sorry, Buckeye fans. Your coach lied, plain and simple. His predecessor was fired for lying...I'm sure that Mr. Myer now wishes he had told the truth when he was first asked. He probably would have been allowed to keep his job and his integrity...he made a couple of mistakes and one of them was lying...
5
Why do we as humans continue to support animals that choose to yell and hurt one another for mythical “points”? Drama? Trophies? Pictures?
2
This article is biased and leaves out very important facts. Courtney Smith's mother, Tina Carano, believes that Zach Smith did not intentionally injure her. Carano stated: "
"When asked if she believed her daughter’s claims of physical abuse, she replied, “I believe that Zach was removing himself from an argument and I do not believe he intentionally abused her. I do not believe he actually intentionally swung or punched her … no.” https://thespun.com/news/jeff-snook-urban-meyer-zach-smith-courtney-smit...
Also, one of Courtney Smith's best friends, the wife of former assistant coach Tom Herman (now Texas coach), Michelle Herman stated:
"However, according to Michelle Herman’s messages to Snook, she believes those allegations are false.
“She never told me she was being abused. She never told anyone she was being abused. Nobody saw any abuse,” Herman messaged Snook. “We were close. I am not saying we weren’t close." See https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/ohio-state-insider-jeff-s...
In light of this and the decision of the Powell police department not to press charges, many in the media attempt to smear Meyer as a bad guy. His job was to manage a football team and not be forced to thoroughly investigate what happened at the Courtney Smith household. He has the right to rely on others and go about his own job of coaching.
JD
4
I have to laugh at those who are outraged that Urban wasn’t fired. I was amazed that he got the three-game suspension — I was guessing he’d get off for time served with the directive to go and sin no more, but the optics of this for OSU have been bad enough, so some consequence had to be in order.
Because....the big time cash cow that is college football at the Ohio State level. It’s sacrosanct.
The victim blaming here is also typical. I suppose Courtney Smith inflicted those injuries on herself, or had someone do it to get Zach Smith in trouble. A toxic marriage, the character of one of the parties...NONE of that is an excuse for violence. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the Smiths, Urban did not do what was required when these allegations came to his attention. I imagine with anyone else — or at anyplace else — we’d be talking termination. But not here.
Again — quelle surprise.
4
wow. 3 whole games?! For enabling criminally abusive behavior, but not 'deliberately LYING' about it? Those other 2 Ohio State sex abuse scandal ENABLERS gonna get time out w/no cookies? Glad I'm not decide where to send my underage child to be 'cared for and developed' w/the bar set by Ohio and Michigan. Not impressed Mary Jo White..
5
In other words, they're both getting vacations?
4
It is clear that winning football is very important at Ohio State.
6
Back when Meyer was coach at Florida, he developed the nickname of Urban Liar. He lost all credibility while at Florida, and we were glad to see the back side of him as he left for Ohio. College football at Division1 is a joke. The athletic departments at Div. 1 colleges are running the schools. The coaches are enablers who look the other way when thuggish behavior is shown by the coaching staff and/or the players. Most of the "student athletes" can hardly utter a declarative sentence. It's just not Ohio, it's everywhere.
5
You conveniently erase all your text messages from more than a year ago. You obfuscate at a press conference without admitting any remorse or sympathy for the victim. But hey, your a successful football coach who brings in tens of millions of dollars for your school so you only get a slap on the wrist instead a just punishment. Another black eye for American higher education and college sports....Will it ever change?
8
Ohio State looks the other way while its athletes get molested and its coaches beat their spouses.
If I were an Ohio State student, I would transfer out of there immediately, rather than earn a degree from a corrupt, unscrupulous, tainted university.
11
We should always try and convict people in the media. It is the surest way to justice.
3
Fans should boo him out of the stadium.
6
To you guys suggesting Zach Smith's ex-wife is a known liar and Meyer didn't do anything wrong, blah blah ... I suggest consideration that Meyer is being disciplined for lying to investigators about what he knew, about his wife lying to investigators about what he knew, then deleting text messages so those conversations wouldn't see the light of day. He's being disciplined for being a liar, mostly.
8
So we don't think he deliberately lied, just happened to kinda sorta, didn't really mean to lie, and he just happened to all of a sudden delete a bunch of messages, then gosh he has been a bad boy so we will make him stand in the corner for a few weeks, but he can still coach during the week, just not in games. Ohio State announced today that football and alumni are more important than honesty and spousal abuse.
5
The Big 10 continues its ethical decline towards the Football is God vision of the SEC.
2
A fatuous coverup of lying by Urban Meyer at a university now best known for its years-long callous disregard for the welfare of its students.
It’s about an obsession with winning and immersing oneself vicariously in the passion and ecstasy of athletic glory, no matter what the cost. It’s about cupidity.
The Ohio State “investigative” team will forever be a laughingstock outside the confines of Ohio.
7
In what other workplace would a manager be caught up in, let alone suspended for, one of their employees’ misdeeds outside of the office? If the police were involved and didn’t do anything, why is there an obligation on the part of the head coach to do something?
If you want to put college football under the microscope there are plenty of reasons to do so, but holding one grown man responsible fo the private actions of another grown man is silly. Getting the police involved and backing away is exactly the right thing to do, absent the current media culture.
3
That would be when the employer has clear rules that require action when an employee acquires knowledge of a misdeed and not only fails to do so, but destroys evidence of when and what they knew. If UM and his wife didn't like those requirements I'm sure they could have found employment at a junior college that didn't have such requirements..... Pathetic....
4
I hope football parents rethink sending their children to this program where winning trumps morality.
4
This account leaves out some important details available elsewhere.
In this case, the accuser spent an enormous amount of time and energy contacting her former spouse's co-workers, even though the couple was long divorced. This strikes me as problematic and, well, creepy. Ex-spouses have absolutely no business contacting their former partners' work associates, let alone for the purpose of making unverifiable accusations against them.
Given that the accuser actively put herself into the work-life of her long divorced husband, we must assume he was up to some real bad stuff.
Well, here's the bad stuff: ESPN reports that he was arrested for "dropping off their son at Courtney Smith's apartment complex. Courtney said Zach violated a shared parenting plan by coming to her residence."
That's right. Mom had dad arrested because he dropped the kid off a home rather than at some neutral place.
What we have here is an ex-wife who is regularly calling up her ex-husband's co-workers and accusing him of things, then having him arrested on a technicality of the parenting plan.
You need to do your research on this one before you throw Meyer or OSU under the bus.
3
Some of the comments here, excusing Meyer, are the reason many crime of abuse both physical and sexual go unreported! Even if the marriage was "toxic" it does not excuse physical violence or any kind. Abusers have been excused or had their crimes explained away by those who refuse to see the truth.
Urban Meyer, knows better. He is the boss, the buck stops with him.
5
What hypocrisy! What you did was wrong Urban Meyer, but not so wrong that we want to endanger our chances of winning a national football championship. So, we will suspend you for the first three games of the season , against weak teams. Of course, we won't suspend you for the games against Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, or any other top Big 10 team.
Why bother?
6
Exactly Steve! God forbid OSU suspends Urban for the games that count. He is a total disgrace.
2
why is it Urban Meyer's responsibility? The police were notified and declined to press charges. The wife didn't file charges knowing that would end her husband's career. Most everyone understands the vicious circle of dependency with domestic violence cases but unfortunately the person that could have ended this circle years' earlier is the victim. Meyer is a football coach, not a domestic abuse counselor.
5
Correct
But if you read the report there are big veracity questions involved here and the "lies" are not believable.
4
I've been an Ohio resident for a little over half of my life, an occasional casual Buckeyes fan, and I think Meyer should be fired. Actually, I wouldn't mind if the Ohio State University just skipped the football and focused on the marching band, which is a lot more fun to watch anyways.
4
I really don’t care much about sports, but Meyer is a coach - not the Delaware County Prosecutor.
This is just a high profile example of a tendency in our society for organizations to get involved in whatever issues are currently politically sensitive.
7
If the law was broken, the law must get involved. There are victims.your comment, is exactly why crimes go unreported.
5
As a fellow university employee, I would like to let it be known that Title IX requires all university employees to report—to the university—all incidents of sexual assault or domestic abuse that either occur on campus or involve other persons or parties related to the university (students, alumni, faculty, or any other staff). The later must be reported regardless of where the offense took place. This is mandated by federal law to be in the contracts of all university employees, including coaches. Meyer, by not reporting, broke both Title IX protocol and his contract.
20
@Tyler Warner Not technically true. Title IX is a Federal Civil Rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in education programs that receive Federal funding. In the 1990s, three Title IX cases (Franklin, Gebser, and Davis) went to SCOTUS where, among other things, SCOTUS confirmed that sexual harassment that creates a hostile environment and denies an individual educational opportunities or benefits is a form of unlawful sex discrimination (this is based on the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act analysis re: employment). After these court cases, which focused on private litigation for monetary damages, OCR released a guidance document in 2001 focusing on administrative enforcement. If an employee is abusing their spouse, and the spouse has no connection to the institution, then it's not a "Title IX" issue because there is no allegation of sex discrimination. To be clear, that doesn't mean there aren't other valid reasons to report and/or take action. But Title IX doesn't cover every instance of gender-based abuse.
I'll also add that in addition to the 2001 Guidance, the Title IX regs can be found at 34 CFR Part 106. No where does it indicate all University employees must be mandatory reporters in their contracts. The Guidance defines Responsible Employees, but again, the allegations have to be related to loss of educational opportunities.
Title IX is an important law. Misunderstandings about it's role and scope are far too prevalent.
2
At least Ohio state suspended Gene Smith for two weeks. He has escape other athletic department scandals, unscathed, until now. First, with former football coach, Jim Tressell. Next, with OSU Marching Band Director, Joe Waters. Waters was dismissed because of a band culture that went back decades, and the university needed to stave off a Title IX investigation. Tressell, because he covered fro his players, who do, and sold what they thought was their property (athletic equipment). Yes, it was their personal property, but no, NCAA rules state you can only sell it after you graduate. All this happened off campus. The university needed do deal with NCAA violations.
Now, there is Urban Meyer. He had an employee, who had marriage problems. The employee did assault his wife, then ex-wife; this is certain. He has been suspended for 6 weeks, and three football games, as coach, Even though this activity took place off campus, and no charges were filed. Though, the Lewis C enter, Ohio police have yet to release the police record from the 2015 incident. No one was arrested, charged or ended up in court.
But, Urban Meyer is paying the price for an employee assaulting his wife, because the employee remained on the payroll.
Spousal abuse is terrible, any way you look at it. But, should an employee's superior be disciplined for an act of an employee, outside of work and off the employer's premises? Apparently, so. You can think about the implications for both employee and employer.
1
How could you claim with certainty that the allegations of assault are true without court trial and conviction?
Just an illustration of how over zealous vigilante sentences and prejudices are dominating our culture.
6
@Nick Metrowsky, he (and his wife) were guilty of failing to comply with the terms of their employment contracts which required notification in the event either became aware of allegations of spousal abuse. To make matters even worse, he both lied about it and destroyed evidence of when and what he knew. Sure doesn't seems like the actions of an innocent person to me.....
4
I guess I'm probably guilty too. I once heard rumors of affairs involving a direct report of mine. It never, ever dawned on me to somehow discipline him. I scarcely knew him outside of work and nothing alleged happened at work.
Are we now responsible for our employees' personal lives?
12
@Hinkley
If you have a clear responsibility to do so, yes.
6
As always in college sports (and everywhere else in corporate America) making money trumps ethics at Ohio State. Anyone else who had covered up and lied like this would have been fired outright.
25
I'm surprised that he got an suspension at all. College football is more important than doing what's right.
10
Like many public figures who fall from grace, Mr. Meyer, a great coach and a good man, lied about a crime rather than committing one. In this case, he knew of his assistant coach’s history of domestic abuse long before he initially said he did. A three-game suspension just isn’t enough. Sadly, he should lose his job. The cover-up always sinks you in the end.
6
@Mark Siegel *Alleged abuse. Never any charges. Zach Smith was not arrested in 2015. The police determined there was no crime. That wasn't decided by Urban Meyer or anyone at OSU. He didn't acknowledge these allegations at Big 10 media days and that was a mistake. He didn't fire Zach Smith sooner for poor behavior on a number of other instances. That was another mistake. The AD didn't report this to HR, which was a mistake. But he didn't lie about a crime, because the police determined a crime didn't occur, and Gene Smith and Urban Meyer deferred to their judgement. Does that amount to someone being fired? I don't think it does. And it's not fair or right for anyone to sit here and claim with 100% certainty that domestic violence occurred here. I'd urge you to read about the other side of the story, where Courtney Smith's mother admits that Courtney was seeking vengeance for Zach Smith's extramarital affairs.
It's unfortunate to admit, but that's very plausible considering the nature of what appears to have been a terrible marriage. There's a lot to unpack with this situation and the bottom line is that there is a lot of uncertainty about what was going on and what happened.
1
Don't know hat your definition of a "good man" is, but mine is: a good man does the right thing each and every time! That's what integrity is about!
4
What has happened to us. Are struck with the #me too virus in football now?
2
3 Games?
Seriously?
What a joke?
We get the society we deserve.
15
Everything we need to know about the outsize place of football at OSU lies in the fact that the Board of Trustees debated this issue and made the decision. Doesn’t Urban Meyer report to the Athletic Director? Or at worst to the President of OSU? This sequence of events suggests that he reports directly to OSU’s Board, which suggests minimal actual oversight by an AD or university president. Yikes.
7
Just "Win Baby", OSU and Meyer - Al Davis protege's. No need to be concerned about anything else.
Time to separate big time collegiate football from the universities - allow those programs to be what they really are, a player development platform for the NFL.
18
No real punishment by board for coach lying about egregious behavior... kind of like no punishment by Congress for President lying about egregious behavior (and crimes).
Certainly not good role models (coach, President, board, Congress) for the students/ young citizens they are supposed to inspire.
7
Just as in the NFL, a big time NCAA coach will get into more trouble for wearing clothing with the wrong manufacturer's logo than they will by aiding, abetting, or perpetrating domestic violence. The NFL owners and the NCAA can try to pin the decline in fans and ratings on people like Colin Kaepernick all they want, but it is their own scurrilous behavior that is the root of the problem.
18
True!
2
Total farce.
Do they think we are so gullible as to believe he won't be coaching from behind the scenes?
7
Football > transparency and women's rights in Ohio.
5
Tinkering with the cell phone messages reveals Meyer for the sleaze that he is. Why do colleges and universities keep protecting coaches who think they are, and are viewed as, invincible gods?
24
Ohio State has chosen football money over integrity.
8
Of course they slapped him on the wrist and said naughty, naughty. This is football, and nothing is more important at our major universities, other than the money it brings in.
8
Big college football wins again. It's all about the money. Shame.
19
It's the same no matter where you look... The White House, The Catholic Church, Hollywood and Business Leaders (#metoo), College Football... the goal is never to uncover the rot and remove it, it's to circle the wagons, cover it up, and protect the golden goose.
Luckily, no matter the "punishment," there are now millions of people who see Meyer and Ohio State leaders for what they are. And eventually the consequences will come home.
On that day, Meyer - like Cohen and countless others before them - will face terrifying repercussions, and wish they had selected to travel a different path. For confirmation, all one has to do is read a bit of Shakespeare.
13
It is all the same, because as you can see by reading some of the comments people have very low standards of what is integrity or what is good character. And "winning" is more important that's doing what is ....just, truthful and correct.
2
ohio state now goes down in history as the school that cared more about winning football games than protecting domestic abuse victims. what a shameful end. a 3-game suspension. why didn't they just give him a raise? i wouldn't send my children or anyone in my family to ohio state.
7
@buskat So, an accusation about domestic abuse that was never proved in court should somehow get his boss fired ?? What are you talking about ?
It's not Meyers job to police all his employee's, especially when no charges were ever filed.
Proud OSU Alum.
1
@Dags No, actually it was. He and his wife's employment contracts required them to report even allegations of spousal abuse. They both knew. Then in UM's case he lied about it and destroyed evidence that would have shown when and what he knew about it.
1
It is quite obvious from this comment board that no one knows what they are talking about and are reacting on complete ignorance. It appears the vast majority of the public are viewing this incident in the lens of the media, who are beyond biased out for blood at all cost. Courtney Smith was far from a credible witness, hence there was NEVER an arrest or conviction. Her motivations were shown to be vengeful due to a toxic marriage. Zach Smith was no Saint, was a horrible employee and his behaviors were treated with blind loyalty. That is NOT a fireable offense. In fact, a suspension was only administered because of the public lynch mob environment that which we currently live. This has nothing to do with big money or big football but right and wrong. The only lying or dishonesty was to the media not the investigators... a fact that is entirely overlooked. After all he has done for the University, the young men he's helped graduate and the community around, he was publicly flogged for being swept up in the #metoo campaign that has clearly gotten out of hand. The media still call Courtney a victim when her credibility was called out by here own mother. If I were Urban, I would've given the University the finger and moved on.
28
@SBifocals These are all important points that seem to be lost on many who are reacting to this decision. Many sources have detailed the toxic nature of the Smith's marriage, and it is very clear that there is culpability on both sides. Ultimately, the police never could confirm the veracity of Courtney's claims, which impacted how Gene Smith and Urban handled this situation. They should have gone to the athletic department HR, and Urban and Gene had many other reasons to fire Zach Smith for questionable behavior. They failed on those fronts and should be punished for those mistakes in my opinion. But the blanket statements people are responding with just shows complete ignorance to the complexity of the situation.
7
Meyer tried deleting text messages re his assistant coach not only about spousal abuse, but Improperly using the Ohio state credit card while he was at a strip club. Then he lied publicly to the media about both issues in an effort to cover up. What would your employer do if they caught you doing this? Most of us would be terminated. But, we’re not big time football coaches.
2
@SBifocals
It sure took the spotlight off Jim Jordan, though, who also was a mandated reporter when the alleged abuse of wrestlers occurred at the same university. Coincidental timing? I suspect not. Color me a conspiracy theorist.
1
So merely an accusation from a vengeful partner is enough to wreck someone’s career. Throughout my career I have witnessed many disgruntled ex-partners extracting revenge on their exs, and lying or exaggerating claims many times is just means to an end.
What happened to presumption of innocence until proven guilty?
14
@Frank Savage what about the strip club bill? the explicit pics? the addiction? Or does that not matter because he's a man in an "important" job?
4
These are the same guys who'll kick a kid off the team, for selling a pair of sneakers.
The coach who turned a blind eye, and lied about domestic violence, gets a slap on the wrist.
These "educators" are poor examples for the students and faculty.
These are the same people, who says they and Gym Jordan never knew about getting "handsy" in the wrestling program.
The trustees, AD, and coach should be fired on the spot.
6
I note, with irony, that the deliberations leading to the university's decision were held in facility named after a basket-maker alumnus (Longaberger).
In May of this year the maker of collectible baskets closed up shop.
As nuts as this slap on the wrist decision is, some might argue that the wrong basket-case came to an end.
5
How college sports mimic national politics is beyond me, but here it is. Both are places that are suppose to show some resemblance of integrity - at least give a hint of it - but money, control, power, and the hope that the fans won't care, will always win the day.
Meyer is too self-righteous to ever admit to being a bald-faced liar. Division I schools and the NCAA winks and smiles upon the elite, but all the time, college football/basketball/etc. sinks further into its own pathetic swamp of more money than they can count.
7
Just like the current “presidency”. Too many highly-placed people refuse to act to remove a corrosive blight because their self-interest is getting in the way.
5
Coach Meyer and his wife are both liars. And the Ohio State board of regents could care less. I wonder if their was a record vote on their decision. I would like to know, for instance, how former NBA player and current basketball broadcaster Clark Kellogg voted. Maybe they just protected themselves and called for a voice vote. It could be a follow up story.
Coach Meyer still doesn't get it. No matter what he said previously or last night during the press conference, his written statement - which he hurriedly read - was a complete sham. He and his wife appear to be complicit in covering up this whole mess.
Also of note, another piece of the Urban Meyer story that should have been brought to light was that after Indiana fired their head coach Kevin Wilson for abusing players, Coach Meyer hired him in a heartbeat. Where was the athletic director when this decision was made?
8
$7.6 million for a man who deliberately looked away from what one of his employees was doing, ie. repeat spousal abuse. Not a big issue at OSU apparently.
10
When you have one of the three greatest college football coaches in America -- you absolutely cannot afford to lose him. Most of us realized this long before Ohio State even put the question to their panel of distinguished puppets. That woman beaten, the boy murdered in Maryland, are just collateral damage from our nation's pigskin passion.
Like Rome, as it fell apart, we must keep the circuses going until the bitter (cough-cough -- I'm in the west) end.
10
@frankly 32 Was she beaten ? Seems no one knows for sure, but somehow it's Meyers fault ?
@Dags She told Urban's wife and maybe him and Urban ignored it, because he had a thousand more important concerns -- then he lied saying nobody ever told him. Retrospect from a distance is always 20 20 but it does seem as if the husband was a jerk and their marriage was toxic. I've gathered that she was extremely attractive and he was going bald. He thought she was a flirt. She let her husband know that she regretted marrying such a loser. All nitro and glycerin. A football coach like Urban Meyer is worth a couple of hundred million dollars to the state of Ohio, when you consider their tradition, sense of self worth, entertainment value, amount of money invested in the university, the multipliers and spin offs. Same as Nick Saban in Alabama. Chris Petersen in Washington. That guy who resurrected Penn State or Dabo Swinney at Clemson. They're rocket scientists and their lives 24-7 must be totally focused on football and it's periphery to achieve the results they do. The only thing that costs more than a great coach is a bad one. It is understandable that Urban did not make a confusing situation with an assistant coach's wife a top priority. Little did he know that the relationships between men and women would become a national cause celebray in Trump's presidency, probably to a great degree, as a reaction to him being a poster boy MCP -- that's a male chauvinist pig in American, for you Norwegians.
1
A slap on the wrist. The first three games are usually warm-ups. OSU's title ambitions are in no jeopardy. They get to look proactive, but there really aren't. They can't let all that donor money slip away.
12
@Publicus1776 Game 3 is @ (16)TCU... not exactly a warm-up.
2
Well, Ohio State can sure pick ‘em. Woody Hayes punches an opposing player after an interception, and Jim Tressel lies about tattoos, but what do they have in common with Meyer? National championships. Beating Michigan. At least Tressel was lamely trying to protect his players whom he actually cared about, but who was Meyer protecting? A man who beat his wife and admits it, and did Meyer or the university ever bother to reach out to the abused wife and apologize for their actions against her? If this coach and university are the best college football has to offer, we’re better off without them.
11
@Jsbliv There was no protecting, it was reported and investigated. The abused wife was far from credible with vindictive motivations, facts corroborated by the alleged abuse victim's own mother. Your comments fuel the toxic trial by media environment in which we live today.
At least Ohio St. immediately fired Woody Hayes after the Charlie Bauman incident (still well remembered well down here in Clemson territory).
Welcome to mega big time college sports - the evidence would have needed to be overwhelming to fire the 2nd most successful major college football coach (Meyer) in America. I am not endorsing this decision - merely holding a mirror to the fact that most college programs would hire Meyer in a heart beat if he could replicate for them what he has accomplished in his career.
The sad reality though - is OSU doesn't need Meyer & life would go on if they did what may have been best & said "no" it is sad, but it may be time to say "good - bye".
6
Win-Loss and financial gain are the only considerations at Ohio State. Judged by those criteria, let's keep him.
13
This is the worst possible solution to this problem. Either he's guilty and needs to be fired, or he's innocent and should be given no punishment at all.
What this says is "We know he's guilty but don't want to fire our championship-winning coach."
87
Purely and simply a whitewash. When winning goes head to head with morality in college football, it's like Alabama playing Slippery Rock. Alums and fans of Ohio State, should be livid but, instead, they'll show up in droves to support a corrupt and morally reprehensible program. It's sickening to see the depths that OSU and others will plumb to field a winning program.
31
Urban Meyer's statement on the three game suspension. Apologies galore. Anyone else notice to whom he did NOT apologize? (Hint: Her initials are CS.)
https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/2018/08/22/urban-meyer-suspen...
19
@Karen Courtney Smith was not a credible witness and was out for vengeance from a toxic marriage. Even he own mother corroborated her intentions and credibility. Meyer knows the truth and wouldn't bend over to apologize for this hit on him... would you??
7
How do you not “deliberately lie”? Oh and nice work speed reading the statement obviously prepared by the Board.
15
@William Moeschler
Yes, his "delivery" really came across as sincere and straight from the heart, didn't it?
4
A further example of craven university administrators and trustees. Given Meyer's notorious management style at the University of Florida and now this episode, Meyer should be ousted. But Ohio State, true to tradition, worships football above all else. And we can't count on the NCAA to compel the university to grow a spine.
45
@SJ It's not just football that OSU and other big time programs worship. It is the money that football generates.
5
If he was covering up his players getting tattoos rather than abuse we may have actually seen some actual justice. I will never fully understand how schools handle these situations.
12
@Jordan One instance is where the coach lied to NCAA investigators and the other coach did not. AND... the allegations came from a far from credible source with sordid intentions. A fact that was corroborated by the witness' own mother. AND... the coach in question followed protocols, but needed to take it a step further. Unlike tattoo-gate, there was no cover-up. That's how.
4
Nice puff piece excusing Ohio State for their mild slap on the wrist to their highest-paid employee, who tolerated an abuser on his staff for many years, lied about it in public and deleted text messages to cover it up.
"Blow to a powerhouse team"? "The board painstakingly deliberated"? Who could write that with a straight face?
This "investigation" was about protecting the guy who wins football games, period, and it is a disgrace to Ohio State.
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@David
I found the Times piece comparatively revealing, interesting, and insightful. It was appropriately clever in describing OSU leaders' thought, taking Mr. Meyer's phrase "benefit of the doubt" for his own behavior toward the fired coach..
By comparison, I expect that Ohio news coverage was influenced by press deadlines...some of it (necessarily) reported heavily on local events of the day.
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