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The latest scandal to hit college football began off earlier this week when Courtney Smith— the wife of Ohio State assistant football coach Zach Smith— claimed members of the school’s program turned a blind eye when she accused her husband of habitual domestic abuse after an incident in 2015. The story was broken on Wednesday by former ESPN employee Brett McMurphy, who said he had reason to believe Urban Meyer was aware of the accusation but did nothing to address it.
Text messages I have obtained, an exclusive interview w/the victim & other information I have learned shows Ohio State coach Urban Meyer knew in 2015 of domestic abuse allegations against a member of his coaching staff despite his denial last week https://t.co/fcxi8GKyeI
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 1, 2018
Meyer was placed on paid administrative leave almost immediately but has remained largely silent on the matter. After being temporarily relieved of his duties, he issued a brief statement that failed to directly address the accusations that he was complicit in the cover-up, saying:
“Gene Smith and I agree that being on leave during this inquiry will facilitate its completion. This allows the team to conduct training camp with minimal distraction. I eagerly look forward to the resolution of this matter,”
However, on Friday afternoon, Meyer issued an official statement in response to the accusations, saying he believes he followed the proper protocol when the Smith situation was brought to his attention— and he was aware of the text messages in question.
— Urban Meyer (@CoachUrbanMeyer) August 3, 2018
This directly contradicts the answer Meyer gave at the aforementioned Big Ten Media Day last month where he flatly denied he had any knowledge of the accusations leveled against Smith. The investigation will likely revolve around whether or not Meyer violated a Title IX agreement in his contract that would allow Ohio State to terminate him with cause.
I have a feeling this is just the beginning of a very long saga.