It's Your Job To Know
[Bryan Fuller]
It doesn't matter whether Urban Meyer knew what Zach Smith did to his wife. It didn't matter if Joe Paterno knew. It didn't matter if Lou Anna Simon knew. All three of these people were or are the superiors of people who can fairly be described as evil, and we are now coming to a society-wide revelation that systems that allow abusers to continue unchecked for years are designed to do so. People in charge of massively failed systems do not get a pass because their system sucks.
Penn State was designed to allow Jerry Sandusky to continue operating well after his mysterious departure from the program. He used Penn State facilities to abuse children for years after his official departure from the staff. That departure was never explained despite requiring explanation: extremely successful 55-year old defensive coordinators do not simply evaporate from college football. Anyone poking around the edges would have found out. That it went on so long is by design.
Michigan State was—is—designed to allow Larry Nassar to operate for years even after reports started filtering up the ranks. Nassar was allowed to see patients for 16 months while he was under investigation for sex crimes. His direct superior is also a sex criminal whose behavior was reported to no avail. The Michigan State board of trustees offered their strong support for Simon even after the scope of the criminality became clear, and hired an ancient toad crony to try to sweep things under the rug.
The only way Urban Meyer did not know about Zach Smith is if his entire program is designed to keep that knowledge away from him. Saying he might not know is no defense. It is worse for Meyer if he ran the kind of program where the head coach did not know serious, damning information about one of his assistant coaches when every one of his coaches' wives knew, when the police knew, when fucking bloggers knew:
Of course he knew. He knew he was an alcoholic, he knew his marriage was in shambles and he knew that his mentor's grandson was a terrible football coach and that he was protected because of bloodline. Literally everybody knew. I knew. I wrote around it for six years.
— Ramzy Nasrallah (@ramzy) August 1, 2018
There are programs like that. There are programs where the biggest sin in the business is telling the head guy what you're up to. Jim Tressel ran a "no snitching" program, and then a lawyer with some very wrong ideas about how Ohio State wanted to run things made the cardinal mistake: he told the head guy what people were up to. The Ohio Bar gave him some misconduct runaround in the aftermath because no deed against the wishes of the program goes unpunished.
It's one thing when you don't want to know about some kid exchanging services for money. But "I don't want to know" is systemic. It spreads. Ohio State learned nothing. Their lesson from the snitching incident was never learned because that entire program was indignant that the NCAA had the temerity to enforce its "no lying to us" rules and fell ass-backwards into an elite coach who just inexplicably left a program he had two titles at. When that guy decides to import an already-established domestic abuser from his previous job, well, nobody asked you about it.
Ohio State was designed to shelter Zach Smith. Urban Meyer's programs at two different unversities were designed to shelter Zach Smith. Meyer's level of knowledge is irrelevant except in an after action report. If Urban Meyer didn't know it's because he didn't want to know. It's his job to know. It is his job to know if any of his players have a jaywalking citation. It is 1000% his job to know whether the flagship institution of the state of Ohio is accommodating a serial abuser.
It is your job to know. If you don't know, you shouldn't have a job.
August 2nd, 2018 at 11:41 AM ^
I agree with everything with the one caveat, that I think Urban himself may have convinced himself in the she-said he-said narrative, partly by protecting himself from information. That's not an excuse, but it's one of the difficulties with domestic abuse when charges are dropped.
Regardless, your post cuts to the core of why he should be gone. I highly doubt he will be though, as I imagine everyone will still focus on all the secondary things like, OSU's Title IX policy, Urban's contract, what exactly he knew, etc.
August 2nd, 2018 at 11:44 AM ^
Christ, the B1G is making SEC bagmen tame by comparison.
August 2nd, 2018 at 11:46 AM ^
Clearly Meyer thinks nearly as well of himself as the Buckeye fanbase does of him--and they basically think of him as a god. There is no other way that a guy so obsessively devoted to detail as Urban Meyer could leave his flank so open to a scandal like this. He thinks he's bulletproof. Zach Smith is and has always been a total piece of shit and Meyer hired him and re-hired him anyways. In a way I'd like him to stick around because I want our guys to beat their asses when they are at their best (and Meyer is a fucking great coach) and have no excuses. But at the same time I don't mind seeing them suffer because they have always clearly maintained a win-at-all-costs mentality.
Strange, isn't it, that our two biggest rivals hate Michigan so much that they sell themselves down the river just to get an edge on us.
August 2nd, 2018 at 11:51 AM ^
Across college football, we say these guys deserve million dollar salaries (and absolutely, definitely none of it should go to players) because they are the best at their jobs. Well, part of that job is knowing what the people you hired are doing and if, say, those actions both on and off the job may adversely affect you or the program. That's the deal. It's why people get fired when their subordinates screw up, and yet every time something like this happens people say "Joe Pa, how could he have known?" or "Is Dantonio's job to know what his players are doing?" or "Art Briles, he can't be expected to be the moral police?" Yes, fucking yes. You don't want the scrutiny and duties that come with the adulation and the millions of dollars, the glossy primetime interviews and the national recognition, go coach somewhere else, or get some other job. If tomorrow it came out that Jim Harbaugh knowingly ignored someone repeatedly beating his wife on the staff, he should be run out of town immediately.
My guess is Meyer isn't gone. Deadspin had a good article about the power of winning, and Meyer is a winner until he isn't. I wouldn't be shocked if he gets hit with some bullshit probation, a fine and some training about reporting, and that's it. Because OSU wants to win another title, they look like a juggernaut, and if we've learned anything over the past 10+ years it's that if you give people in power what they want, they will look the other way.
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:44 PM ^
bronxblue - your last sentence is true in almost EVRY aspect of life in the United States today, which is very, very sad for our country's future. Absolute power does corrupt absolutely.
However there is the smell of blood in Columbus like never before, and Urban does have some old skeletons in the closet ... he may not want to fight it this time.
Go Blue!
August 2nd, 2018 at 11:53 AM ^
At least Bob Evans got it right.
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:00 PM ^
Here is one of many articles suggesting Meyer’s pattern of wanting to stay uninformed.
“Anybody who covered Urban Meyer at the University of Florida knows he overlooked many player transgressions in his zeal to win to championships. In 2007, the notorious Aaron Hernandez was originally a suspect in a Gainesville shooting that left two men wounded, including one who was shot in the back of the head. That case, categorized as an attempted homicide, remains unsolved.
Meyer told the Gainesville Sun’s Pat Dooley he was informed of the incident by one of his UF assistants and “didn’t think about it again” until six years later after Hernandez was accused [and convicted] of murder when he played for the New England Patriots.”
I recall reading from another article what Meyer reportedly said when staff informed Meyer about the police wanting to speak to Hernandez about the incident, Meyer did not ask to be fully informed. He did not request more information from the police (who knew about an eyewitness report of the killer being someone who resembled Hernandez). Meyer just responded to staff: ‘Is there anything I should know?’ “ An obedient staff member, knowing Meyer's desire to stay uninvolved just said "No".
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/open-mike/os-sp-urban-meyer-ohio-state-gators-domestic-violence-20180801-story.html
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:01 PM ^
I'm sure he knew. I'm sure he rationalized in his head he did everything he could when he learned police were called to Smith's house in 2015 and nothing happened and no arrests were made. I'm sure he rationalized why he believed Smith and the police investigation at the expense of the victim. I don't think he handled that particularly well, but at the end of the day, if you get a report your subordinate did something wrong in their personal life, you learn the police were called, and then learn they investigated and nothing happened legally in the aftermath of that investigation, what duty do you have to take matters into your own hands and dig deeper? That's a legitimate question. How do those questions get answered if Meyer is a partner and Smith is his associate? If Meyer is a doctor and smith is his nurse? Does the football coaching dynamic change anything?
Should Meyer have fired Smith in 2015? Yes. Is that only his decision to make? No. Who else knew? Apparently everyone knew.
Meyer lying about all this a week ago is a disaster, and his disaster to own.
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:11 PM ^
Legit questions, sure? If Meyer were a doctor, it would be a legit question. But he's not. He's the multi-millionaire head of a football program that headlines an athletic department with a 10 figure budget at a nationally renowned school. There are more optics here than some doctor and nurse combo. Perception is reality where public concern can be concerning. Just because some nondescript doctor doesn't care if his nurse beats a spouse, doesn't mean that Meyer doesn't have to be concerned about covering up for a serial abuser.
You attempt at rationalizing this fails the common sense test.
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:43 PM ^
See, that's why the questions should be asked. You're basically saying it's fine to know your business partner hits his wife and it's the police's job to figure that out, but that's not fine if the guy coaches a football team I don't like.
I hope you didn't just make the argument that the public concern is greater in matters of football coaching than with their community doctors and lawyers.
Meyer didn't "cover up" the abuse. Cover it up to who? I think there's a very important distinction between Meyer obstructing a police investigation into abuse and Meyer not going above and beyond a police investigation that clears someone of abuse. Meyer allegedly knew the police were called and did nothing about the abuse. Should Meyer have called the police back? Ran his own investigation? I can make the argument he should have. But ultimately, Meyer knew authorities responded and chose not to intervene at the scene. At what point does it become Meyer's job to be the police?
Meyer has not covered himself in glory here. He was put in a terrible position by Smith and Columbus PD and handled it as bad as he possibly could have. If Meyer recommended to Gene Smith that Zach Smith should have been fired in 2015 due to these DV allegations and the police response to his home, and Gene Smith says "I can't fire this guy for domestic violence without an arrest or pressed charges," then what is Meyer supposed to do?
What is he supposed to do?
How about standing up for the core values of his program, that he crafted, namely "TREAT WOMEN WITH RESPECT".
Best case scenario here for Meyer is he survives this looking like a complete hypocrite and disingenuous liar.
That's fine. I don't disagree. But it's a lot easier to make up some fake core values and tout them as a PR stunt than it is to fire a person for domestic violence with no domestic violence arrests or charges.
Urban Meyer doesn't make that call. The AD, the university president, the BOT, and the university's lawyers do.
I was impressed with your reasoning until this. You don't believe Urban can fire an assistant for beating his wife when he's telling his players to treat women with respect? It's most likely at this point that Urban saw the pictures, knew about the abuse, knew about the divorce, the court trials and still kept this ass on staff despite his"zero tolerance" of domestic abuse stance as presented to the players. Supposedly he knew about it on 2009. And 11. And 15. And lied about it. And would have kept lying until he went to his grave if he hadn't been caught.
I don't believe Meyer has unilateral firing power. I think Gene Smith's culpability in this is significantly deeper than what we know at present.
I also don't think it's that easy to "fire an assistant for beating his wife" when the law and the police haven't said the assistant beat his wife. Like it or not, firing someone for cause for a domestic crime is harder than it sounds, especially when there's no tangible arrest or conviction to point to.
It's much easier to be hardline on a player with no due process rights. You can suspend them for whatever. What are they gonna do? Sue? No. But Zach Smith can. And without a conviction, let alone an arrest or a charge, that lawsuit has the potential to get ugly and expensive for OSU as an institution in a hurry.
Meyer comes off as a hypocrite, and full of shit, no argument there.
The issue for me is that he is obligated to report it if he knew, simple as that. If he didn't know, he isn't doing his job well enough in my opinion.
Should he have fired Zach Smith a long time ago? My answer is yes. Should he have reported the abuse if he had knowledge? His contractual obligations say yes.
For reference:
http://titleix.osu.edu/sidebar-resources/what-is-title-ix/definitions.html
Under domestic violence it reads "Conduct that would meet the definition of a felony or misdemeanor crime of violence committed by the complainant’s current or former spouse or intimate partner, a person with whom the complainant shares a child in common, a person who is or has cohabitated with the complainant as a spouse or intimate partner, or individual similarly situated to a spouse under domestic or family violence law, or anyone else protected under the domestic or family violence law of the jurisdiction in which the offense occurred. An individual need not be charged with or convicted of a criminal offense to be found responsible for domestic violence pursuant to this policy."
Ohio State easily could have easily moved on from Smith. He was on a one year contract. After the incidents in 2015, bring him in, let him know that he is not going to be retained for the upcoming season, and he should begin preparing to find new employment for the upcoming season. They could have also offered to allow him to leave immediately with full pay. He would know why he was not being retained but would he really press the issue with a lawsuit? The allegations against him would come out in any potential lawsuit (hampering his ability to be hired anywhere else), and without Ohio State stating the abuse allegations are why they were not retaining him, what grounds would he have to sue?
Not pressing charges is not the same thing as "cleared of abuse." Unless there is something highly unusual I don't know about, the police did not "clear" Smith of domestic violence in the 2015 incident. And from what we are hearing, the abuse was systemic, not just an incident here and there, and was widely known among coaches.
Fair. I think I meant in the context of my reply, police showed up to the house in 2015 and "cleared" that particular scene/instance of anything they felt comfortable arresting/prosecuting Smith for at that time based on the allegations during that altercation.
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:13 PM ^
The university's policy on sexual misconduct has answers to a lot of those questions. It was Meyer's obligation (and certainly his wife's) to report credible information of "intimate violence" involving employees of the university to the proper officials within the university. Both of them certainly had to fulfill some kind of sexual misconduct training, as have almost all university employees over the past decade. It's very clear from the training that I've done that not reporting is a serious matter that puts your job on the line.
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:20 PM ^
Yeah, for all the wrong he had done, if Meyer's comments a week ago are "I blew it, I should have done this much sooner, I didn't take it seriously enough and I have to live with that" instead of lying, and lying in a really self-righteous way too, Meyer is still coaching the team to open fall practice.
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:44 PM ^
Bingo.
So then what about Ramzy Nasrallah? "Writing around it for six years?"
He's an even worse pathological homer than I thought, giving me shit for having defended Brendan Gibbons against Ramzy's baseless claim that Gibbons was a "rapist."
I don't know whether Gibbons was or wasn't a rapist. I do know U-M's internal justice system found Gibbons's conduct was bad enough to warrant his expulsion. What that means, is anyone's guess. Obviously, "the law" doesn't think Gibbons was a rapist.
I think Ramzy's tweet yesterday was really dumb. I mean come on. Not a single OSU fan had any inkling Smith was an alcoholic and serial wife abuser. Ramzy creating some narrative that his writing about Smith's shitty on-field coaching performance was a subtle nod to totally open and obvious personal problems Smith was having is ridiculous. No one would have conflated the two. Or even thought to have. It's ridiculous to suggest as much.
There is no "internal justice system" at Michigan. There are administrative bodies that, by their own account, make no pretense at any sort of procedural due process.
buckeyejonross, if you think that I am attacking the University of Michigan's handling of Brendan Gibbons, you have got that exactly right.
But even the University of Michigan's Title IX Kangaroo Court never had the chutzpah to call Brendan Gibbons a "rapist" in print and then double down on it. Ramzy Nasrallah is the only jackass who was reckless enough to pull that stunt.
Mainly reasonable points, but when people will lie about things like this, they rarely get caught the first time. While Urban Meyer shouldn't be fired because he's "probably lied about a ton of other stuff", should we trust anything he says about any valuable member of his team/program? Is he capable of making the "right decision" if it will hurt his program? There is a pattern of behavior here that puts winning above everything.
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:02 PM ^
"...Literally everybody knew. I knew. I wrote around it for six years."
So when can we expect Ramzy to be facing media scrutiny for enabling spousal abuse?
BTW, this is vintage Brian. The same Brian we hoped would return after the debacle of the 2017 football season. Seems like he's getting back into rhythm - the last two posts were on target.
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:49 PM ^
Ramzy is a journalist. It's a good question whether he has an ethical obligation to report something like this if he uncovers it, but to use legal terms, his duty of care is far less than the person who is literally the abuser's boss.
Well I'll say it; Ramzy Nasrallah is not a journalist. I expect that if you pressed Ramzy with some hard questions about it, he'd say, "I'm not a journalist, I'm a blogger."
If Ramzy Nasrallah was a journalist, he'd be working for an editor. And if Ramzy had called a college football player "a rapist" when that player had cooperated with a police investigation, and the purported victim had not cooperated, and the player had never been charged, tried or convicted of rape or any other crime... Ramzy's editor would tell him to change it, in a hurry. And if Ramzy had doubled down on it, Ramzy's publisher would have him in his office. Probably with the publication's legal counsel. And the question wouldn't be so much how to save Ramzy's job, but rather what to do to avoid a defamation lawsuit.
Agree 100% on Brian. I’ve been critical of him lately, and I hate that this is the topic, but he seems to be finding the passion again. This level of writing is why people come here and want to be a part of the board. It FEELS different.
If we get this Brian back, the site will be fine no matter the issues with the update.
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:02 PM ^
So what are these coaches supposed to do? Need a proper action list for our coach.
I guess when you hear even a hint of impropriety (with or without police involvement) then you report it, document it, paper it to whom? Compliance Officer?
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:10 PM ^
This isn't a "hint" of impropriety. This goes all the way back to 2009 when Urban's closest confidants intervened to keep Smith's wife from pressing charges. His wife knew. Other wives and probably coaches knew. There are text messages showing a trail of information that is impossible to ignore. And apparently it's common knowledge that Smith was a drunkard to boot.
It's not "every rumor needs to be elevated to the top NOW."
It's serious accusations need to be looked at for more than 2 seconds and then passed off as "not my problem."
Taking something to the extreme is ridiculous and I hope you know that. Saying 10 years of domestic abuse needs to be taken seriously isn't the same as saying a rumor of a coach having a pot habit needs to be figured out tomorrow.
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:30 PM ^
I think it is every rumor now. I know I would
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:30 PM ^
I think it is every rumor now. I know I would
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:30 PM ^
I think it is every rumor now. I know I would
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:30 PM ^
I think it is every rumor now. I know I would
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:30 PM ^
I think it is every rumor now. I know I would
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:31 PM ^
sorry for the multiple posts. this new website I don't like!
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:12 PM ^
All coach needs to do is tell the truth and not cover things up. Do that, and you win every time...
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:02 PM ^
So what are these coaches supposed to do? Need a proper action list for our coach.
I guess when you hear even a hint of impropriety (with or without police involvement) then you report it, document it, paper it to whom? Compliance Officer?
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:02 PM ^
So what are these coaches supposed to do? Need a proper action list for our coach.
I guess when you hear even a hint of impropriety (with or without police involvement) then you report it, document it, paper it to whom? Compliance Officer?
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:06 PM ^
It is saying something that Louisville (LOUISVILLE! on round 2 with Petrino) appears have to agreed with this sentiment, or at least realized the pointlessness of trying to determine what was known or not. And in that case the issue was improper (partially legal?) NCAA benefits, not domestic abuse.
This moment is going to be remembered for a long time based on what the administration in Columbus chooses to do. The Big 10 fanbase has turned its nose at the SEC for years and accused it of cheating in recruiting and putting wins above all else at any cost. Penn State....Michigan State...Ohio State in the last ~5 years, and all coincidentally now in the top 10 preseason rankings. Appears the shoe is on the other foot.
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:08 PM ^
Brian "Hockey Sweater" Cook from the top rope!
Someone give Zach Sxith a whiskey so he starts spilling the Urbz secrets. I want to know what dirt he has on him.
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:11 PM ^
Also, it was Hoke's job to know that Shane Morris got his brain slammed against his skull during a football game. You have to be fully aware of what's happening on and off the field. Being clueless because you're stupid or ignorant because "la la la I dont want to know the bad things" are equally troublesome when it comes to leading anything/anyone.
Urban has to go. This week.
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:10 PM ^
Call me hopelessly cynical (I deserve it) but I don't see Urban getting canned for this. If Dantonio and Izzo can still have a job shielding multiple players from consequences, then I don't see OSU dumping their golden goose just cause Urban covered for one guy's sick actions.
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:13 PM ^
Maybe Urban gets crucified for this and then MSU.
ESPN isn't going to stop sniffing around EL after how they've been treated. I hope it's the same was what Brent McMurphy did.
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:24 PM ^
After how they've been treated? ESPN dug their own hole with the MSU OTL story with a bunch of shoddy reporting.
They should have kept McMurphy and sent him up there.
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:13 PM ^
That's the concern obviously.
Giant State schools within 200 miles of one another see the other one getting away with something pretty terrible with 0 accountability or punishment can embolden the other school to say "why can't we just do that?"
Or at minimum, OSU can say "at least we put our HC on admin leave, MSU didn't even do that."
Lower the hurdle just enough to make it easy to jump.
August 2nd, 2018 at 12:19 PM ^
He’s gone. You can bet on that. But they won’t do it until they’ve negotiated Meyers exit so they won’t get sued.
Also, look for a 2011 repeat, but rest assured 2012 will also be repeated (stoops). OSU will never experience a downturn for more than one year. Of that I am thoroughly convinced.
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