Zach And Urban Comment Count

Brian

[Eric Upchurch]

So I guess we should talk about this now:

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Text messages I have obtained, an exclusive interview with the victim and 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.

Courtney Smith, ex-wife of fired Ohio State assistant coach Zach Smith, provided text messages between her and the wives of Ohio State coaches – including Urban Meyer’s wife, Shelley – showing Meyer’s knowledge of the situation.

Meyer said last week during Big Ten Media Days that he had no knowledge of two alleged domestic violence incidents in 2015 with former assistant wide receivers coach Zach Smith that were investigated by the Powell (Ohio) Police Department.

Meyer said had he known, he would have fired Smith in 2015 – three years before he did last week after I reported the alleged domestic violence.

If you haven't been following this story, it goes like this:

  • Earle Bruce has a child, who has a son in turn. This person gets named "Zach Smith."
  • Smith listens to "Bawitdaba" nonstop for 28 years.
  • Smith gets hired at Ohio State because nepotism and proceeds to go on a series of childish rants on twitter. His coaching acumen appears to consist of yelling "hashtag zone six!" at his charges, who respond by dropping balls so emphatically their hands also fall off.
  • Smith has a series of domestic violence charges during this period starting in 2009, when he threw his pregnant wife into a wall, with additional police involvement in 2015 and this year.
  • Reporter Brett McMurphy exposes Smith shortly before Big Ten Media days, prompting a series of questions from reporters to Meyer; according to Courtney Smith, Zach's ex-wife, Meyer lied about his knowledge of the situation.
  • Smith gets fired.

The above article is damning and should be read in its entirety. Smith's abuse was scary and persistent; a text exchange between Courtney Smith and Shelley Meyer asks whether Smith has a restraining order—which is read as obviously necessary—and says "he scares me."

Unless Urban Meyer can make the case that his wife decided not to tell him about the years of abuse Courtney Smith was enduring—and that every OSU coach's wife made the same decision—this is a case of an institution knowingly employing a serial abuser. This isn't against the law. It's not against NCAA rules. It should be unacceptable in the court of public opinion, and you'd hope that would be enough to drum other folks out of their jobs up to and including Meyer.

I'm skeptical this will happen. OSU was readying a full-throated defense of Jim Tressel ("I just hope he doesn't fire me") when it became clear that directly lying to the NCAA four times would inevitably result in a show-cause that would terminate Tressel whether OSU wanted to or not. Without a similar sword hanging over OSU's neck*, their choice is to either disrupt their football golden era or follow the example that Meyer provided—downplay, hide, dismiss, survive. I got a dollar on the second playbook.

*[McMurphy thinks there might be Title IX issues. As we've seen at MSU—why are our rivals all so awful—those take years and rarely touch the levers of power.]

Comments

Walmart Wolverine

August 2nd, 2018 at 6:33 AM ^

Thanks for posting here chill

Reading responses at 11 Warriors I am a little bit happy about the maturity and gravity of most of the responses.  Yeah, there are a few 'you can prove it and even if you can she deserved it' neanderthals, but you'll get those everywhere

I have a few friends, including one very good one, who are PSU alums and the denial from them was incomprehensible to me.  I would urge them 'forget what can be proven, look at what we know.  We know that this criminal was allowed to operate for decades under Paterno's watch.'

The degree here is different, I think, but the scope similar.  Either Meyer knew or he didn't know.  Either way, he should be fired.  If he knew, then for obvious reasons.  If he didn't then because he's still responsible for what happens with his team and staff.  It is pretty clear that multiple people around the program knew about this.  It is his obligation to require this knowledge

Finally, Zach Smith hasn't spoken and now there is really no reason for him to remain quiet.  If OSU keeps Meyer then they will be operating under this sword of damocles.  OSU football will be just fine without Urban Meyer.  They will rally and regroup.  They didn't need him for success in the past and they won't need him in the future.  The program will suffer a serious blow though, if they elect to keep him and we later learn that this is only the tip of the iceberg

everyonechill

August 2nd, 2018 at 9:01 AM ^

Walmart, I agree for the most part, and will go as far as to say I have no idea how he didn’t know. Taking what’s been said at face value (a dangerous but, nonetheless, empirically-driven exercise), if other coach’s wives knew, and he and Shelley share information as regularly as they say they do, how can something like this slip through the cracks? Personally, I call BS that it did. 

Nuances abound, but if we know anything about Urban Meyer, it’s that he’s stubbornly loyal. That’s a double-edged sword. His loyalty to Zach Smith should play into this, as he enabled a know abuser, and overall clown, with the status and lifestyle of working for a top-tier college football team. 

 

If a precident is set, it applies to everyone. Even the head ball coach.

 

next man up. 

Phinaeus Gage

August 1st, 2018 at 9:17 PM ^

Urban has been described as a micromanager, taking it upon himself to know finite details about his players and coaches. 

He also describes his wife as his confidante and best friend, and that they, “share everything.” 

There is just no way that he didn’t at least know something about Zach Smith and his abusive relationship with his spouse. 

I’m just waiting to see whether OSU does the right thing, or goes the route of MSU and circles the wagons. It’s a 50-50 proposition. I wouldn’t be surprised either way. 

slimj091

August 1st, 2018 at 9:58 PM ^

The thing worse than what the athletic department defending him will be Ohio State fans themselves defending him. I know they will, because I've heard it already. One particular comment that I couldn't believe was uttered out of the mouth of someone that I thought I've known for over a decade was

"So what? Men beat their wives all the time!"

MadMike92

August 1st, 2018 at 11:31 PM ^

Waiting to see if Urbz will throw his wife under the bus.  I read that she's likely to get fired from her OShitstainU teaching position for Title IX reasons bc she apparently didn't report this.  She's going to have to claim she didn't tell him in order to back up his very public story, right?  I'd like to listen in on their little conversation this evening (after Urbz is done chatting about the grandkids with the OSU AD).  But I like the "my wife and I don't speak since I nailed that cheerleader" defense better (hat tip).

Jambon

August 2nd, 2018 at 1:06 AM ^

Of all the ways to go down, I doubt this will be it. But, if it does, stars aligning for us in '18? God let this be an uplifting season.

Duq

August 2nd, 2018 at 7:26 AM ^

I dislike the sucknuts as much as anyone else but I hope Meyer makes it through this.  I want Michigan to beat them when they are the best, not like when we beat them after Tressel was fired.

One other thought, if a head coach can be fired because you did not fire your assistant for this should that also be the expectation for any boss/leader in the private or public sector?  

M-Dog

August 2nd, 2018 at 8:33 AM ^

That is becoming the standard.  Be proactive about making it clear that this kind of thing won't be tolerated, and speak out immediately if you know something.

Yes, it is a much higher standard, and very difficult to enforce, but that is the standard now.  There should be no illusions.

 

SoccerDancer

August 2nd, 2018 at 9:00 AM ^

Well I just had an interesting read. Ever go over to 11 warriors? It's the buckeye homeboy site. Reading through their comments is like reading a trump blog. Nothing is Urbs fault. I'd say the comments fall about 50% on Zach, 45% on his wife, and about 5% on Urb, then those 5% people get shouted down. They're quick to shout about why is she only coming forward now. Never mind that her motives don't really matter or change Urbs culpability. Everything is an excuse, rational or dismissal of any wrong doing.  They talk about sticking her in a room with angry drunk buckeye fans. There's some angry people down there. 

Maize4Life

August 2nd, 2018 at 10:01 AM ^

Color me SKEPTICAL....Ohio St will do NOTHING..oh sure they will give the appearance of a serious investigation and of course that lying Gene Smith will say all the right PC things but in the end???  they will suspend him for the first quarter of the game against NE Montana A & M and call it a day..this is what OLIEO St always does

Blue in PA

August 2nd, 2018 at 1:01 PM ^

So.... Zach has enough dirt to bring down the entire coaching staff, huh?    He's probably about to be announced as the executive VP at Jack Maxton Auto Group, or DiGeronimo Companies, Inc.