Meyer ESPN Article With A Quote From a Buckeye Fan
ESPN Front Page article on nothing has changed at OSU
Classic OSU fan on a question on Zach Smith:
"You want everyone to forget about Zach Smith?" an eavesdropping fan interjected from two rows back. "Beat Tulane today. Beat Penn State next week. By the time we stomp Michigan's asses, people will be asking, 'Zach who?'"
September 27th, 2018 at 9:19 AM ^
Ehhh, we're arguing values, not facts. So I don't really have any expectation of what MGo's receptiveness will be. I assume everyone here made up their mind already. It's why I tend to only talk about football here--there's a final score and someone is right at the end. Not stuff like this.
September 26th, 2018 at 8:20 PM ^
You lose the benefit of the doubt when you have Aaron Hernandez, UF arrests, grad-assistant co-eds, Saban induced "heart problems" in your past. He was already a perceived disingenuous sleaze. Now you add in this latest story, plus the deleted texts, multiple versions of an apology, etc.... It gets really hard to search for nuance.
In other words...sure, this particular story is probably much more complex than any of us will ever know, but given Meyer's past, not much reason to believe a word he says.
September 26th, 2018 at 8:35 PM ^
It's roughly a million times more nuanced than that.
It is more nuanced. I think the thing that chaps most peoples' collective ass though is Meyer hiding behind his own piety. He has a long track record of poor associations, not so much at OSU but they are still there.
Likewise, OSU has its own track record of dubious behavior, both within the football program and in other parts of the athletic department
Combining those things it is terribly difficult to give Meyer any doubt benefit, particularly considering his ongoing evasions, victim blaming, and excuses.
So sure, there is a lot that happened here, and ultimately it does only come down to Meyer not firing a bad dude early enough. Regardless the optics are terrible and it is easy to believe that there is much more that we don't know and that we will never know, and that through it all Meyer is skating free
September 26th, 2018 at 9:05 PM ^
Yeah, the nuance is that the goal posts for morality tend to move depending on the on field success of the head coach. The nuance is how little society gives a shit about victims as long as their favorite distraction isn't upset in some way. This exists to some extent everywhere. In East Lansing and Columbus the only thing you can do wrong is lose consistently.
September 27th, 2018 at 8:23 AM ^
Why did Meyer delete all his texts? Bet you a million that he has never deleted ANY texts prior to that.
Go Blue!
September 27th, 2018 at 9:39 AM ^
Meyer didn't delete all his texts, Gene Smith did, and apparently has been doing it for quite some time. Meyer's messages that were deleted were more than one year old, per his phone settings.
Honestly, I find it hilarious this blog rode hard to Tom Brady's defense when he smashed his phone before turning it over to the NFL, but somehow this is different.
I think there's many reasons why Meyer doesn't want people reading and leaking his old text messages, probably none of them have to do with him texting someone "I love the way Zach Smith beats his wife."
September 27th, 2018 at 4:54 PM ^
Great, now you're comparing a witchhunt over deflated footballs with a coach who likely enabled and protected someone who has a history of domestic abuse...who asked how to delete texts greater than a year old immediately as soon as he heard the story was dropping.
But yeah, otherwise, TOTALLY the same thing with the cell phone. Right.
September 26th, 2018 at 5:31 PM ^
"The only mistake Urban has made is being too good of a guy. But I hope he's not too good of a guy when we're kicking Penn State's ass next weekend."
Willful stupidity. They choose not to see him as anything other than what they want to see.
Other fanbases know OSU and Meyer are in the wrong, if that's any consolation.
September 26th, 2018 at 5:32 PM ^
Some of them actually seem to think Smith did nothing wrong (the Duke lacrosse card has been played) which is why Meyer didn’t fire him...
September 26th, 2018 at 6:03 PM ^
I talked to a die are Iowa fan this past weekend. He actually brought up Urban Meyer (called him Urban Liar) and he was very adamant that Urban should have been fired and that there is no way he would have survived at any other school in the B1G. I politely pointed out the MSU would have also kept Urban.
September 26th, 2018 at 7:19 PM ^
I have a Die Hard battery that does not have an opinion on this matter.
September 26th, 2018 at 6:15 PM ^
Based on the opinions over on r/CFB, basically everyone has the same opinion besides OSU fans
September 26th, 2018 at 6:57 PM ^
I know a diehard PSU fan and a diehard Wisconsin fan. Both call him Urban Liar and believe he should have been fired as well as Gene Smith.
I haven’t asked their perspective on MSU although I am curious.
September 26th, 2018 at 5:19 PM ^
Well, he's not wrong. ESPN is already trying to set up the Urban redemption story as we speak.
September 26th, 2018 at 5:24 PM ^
59 days. Death to osu football.
September 26th, 2018 at 5:25 PM ^
Lots of gross quotes in that article that only confirm what everybody already knew. The university and fanbase value winning above anything and everything else.
September 26th, 2018 at 5:38 PM ^
OSU fans defending Urban as this beacon of morality are hilarious. Especially in light of what they thought of him while he was the coach of Florida.
September 26th, 2018 at 6:02 PM ^
If you want to take down Ohio State and make karma work you would have to tear down the entire infrastructure of college football as it exists today. The reason OSU fans can overlook Meyer’s faults is because people rationalize just about anything that harmonizes with our self interest. College football fan culture today personalizes team success, equating it with individual self worth, more than it ever has in the past. If the team wins, we are winners, and we gladly minimize threats to that, especially if those threats are nullified by the institution.
It keeps getting worse. This whole playoff business hasn’t helped.
September 26th, 2018 at 6:49 PM ^
It's interesting because I had this same thought while interacting with a few OSU fans on Twitter. They kept putting me and UM down in a discussion that had nothing to do with me or UM. We were talking about Meyer. Eventually I said you realize you are not OSU and I am not UM. They are just teams we like. Anyone can chose to like any team. OSU's success is not yours and UM's shortcomings are not mine. You are still you and I am still me. These teams don't make us any more or less successful as fans. Their only response was "I'd expect that from a TSUN fan". It's like talking to a rock.
September 26th, 2018 at 9:18 PM ^
Tribalism in action.
And, for better or worse, tribalism is not a thing seen solely with college football fans.
September 26th, 2018 at 7:32 PM ^
A big part of the issue is that the NCAA abdicates responsibility in most of these cases to the schools themselves. There is no college football commissioner to step in and suspend Urban Meyer for 12 months. It's up to the schools to do the right thing and they may have no incentive to do so.
September 26th, 2018 at 10:07 PM ^
Suspend him for a year for what? Because you don't want him coaching Michigan's rival? Let's be honest - if that would have happened at EMU or Coastal Carolina, we would all be like "meh, I don't see what they guy was supposed to do. Firing an assistant over unproven allegations isn't going to help anybody".
September 26th, 2018 at 10:42 PM ^
Unproven, are you out of your mind? You're still clinging to that lame argument?
Common knowledge now that Zach physically abused his wife, common knowledge that Urban and Shelley knew about it and chose to coast along, secure that a winning program was all that mattered. Every sports writer from every outlet knows what has happened.
At this point, I don't care if Urban coaches at OSU or not. Frankly it's probably better for us if he stays, his legacy is tainted.
September 27th, 2018 at 9:24 AM ^
Great f'in post, man. Honestly. Perfectly stated.
September 26th, 2018 at 5:55 PM ^
the fan isn't wrong though...
September 26th, 2018 at 6:03 PM ^
Grew up hating osu on the football field. Now I loathe every idiot fan that shows how backwards and ignorant they are (obviously doesn't include their entire fanbase, just most of it). Can't wait for the Game.
GO BLUE!!
September 26th, 2018 at 6:07 PM ^
"Now, with some drive-time clarity, he remembered how the ......"
That is the money quote for me.
September 26th, 2018 at 6:07 PM ^
Pathetic, but then that's the norm for Columbus and that school. Unfortunately the fan is right. Meyer lied and perpetuated a toxic atmosphere and when it all came down the statement rang true - if it were any other coach (except Saint Nick) at any other school he would have been long gone.
By the end of the season we'll here all sort of praise how he "came back" from his suspension and how the team "overcame" adversity. What we won't hear is the outcome of the damage that has been done. We won't hear any real dialogue about the deleted texts and the violation of state laws. We also won't hear any real sympathy for the victim in all of this.
Karma? She won't do a bloody thing about it. Otherwise Tulane would have beaten that team.
September 26th, 2018 at 10:11 PM ^
I think the whole "deleted texts" narrative was a big nothing burger. Also, you're assuming that Courtney Smith is telling nothing but the truth when the justice system couldn't find enough evidence to prosecute him. Had he been charged with DV, he would have been immediately fired. Assuming people guilty before they are convicted (or even charged with a crime!) Is a slippery slope.
September 27th, 2018 at 12:23 AM ^
This argument is insane. Whether a criminal charge was made or not is completely irrelevant. Smith was a garbage person who had so many known transgressions that warranted termination of employment. Meyer keeping Smith around for as long as he did displays atrocious judgment.
September 27th, 2018 at 12:13 PM ^
Yeah, that's why both Earle Bruce himself and Urban's Life Coach (what's his name) met with Courtney to beg her not to press charges? Because there was nothing to worry about? Or is that fact also being denied?
September 26th, 2018 at 6:13 PM ^
"A couple of hours before kickoff of the Tulane game, Meyer led his team into the Skull Session, the traditional pep rally held in St. John Arena, across Woody Hayes Drive from the fabled Horseshoe. That was normal. The standing ovation he received was not. The packed house was normal. The T-shirts they wore and the signs they held that read "Urban Legends Never Die," "Urban Strong" and "Free at Last!" were not."
Holy shit, they're delusional
September 26th, 2018 at 10:08 PM ^
The "Urban Strong" t-shirt sticks out most from the paragraph. What strength are they endoursing? The moral strength to not sleep with OSU and Utah cheerleaders?
September 26th, 2018 at 6:18 PM ^
70,000 truck drivers approve of this message.
September 26th, 2018 at 7:26 PM ^
It's interesting how so many people are (usually rightfully) sensitive to racism and sexism, but classism always gets a free pass.
September 26th, 2018 at 8:16 PM ^
yay more ~ism's to have to try to tip toe around to not offend someone.
September 26th, 2018 at 9:23 PM ^
Shut up you dumbass. It’s not “isms” that are the problem. The problem — and it’s a really big one — is selfish insensitive entitled morons that think “political correctness” is just an annoying term rather than an ethical stance.
September 26th, 2018 at 10:14 PM ^
Its just pure arrogance. They don't respect the people who actually work for a living, doing the tasks that make it possible for smug little pu**ies to live in comfort and have Amazon prime products delivered to their doors.
September 26th, 2018 at 10:56 PM ^
I know lots of people who work for a living that don't root for OSU...
September 27th, 2018 at 9:28 AM ^
God dude, fuck off. Go back to 11W.
September 26th, 2018 at 6:19 PM ^
Not worth getting mad about. This is who they are, and that’s not going to change. As long as they keep winning football games, nothing else matters.
Another quote said something akin to Meyer’s only mistake was that he was too good a man to fire Smith. They only see the qualities of Meyer that they want to see, and that is a big time football coach who beats his rivals, wins titles, and is an endless cash stream for the university. And as long as he keeps doing these things, Meyer’s character defects are a non-issue.
All Michigan can do is find a way to beat him on the field. That’s it.
September 26th, 2018 at 6:21 PM ^
Haha classy. That fanbase is absolute trash.
September 26th, 2018 at 6:25 PM ^
On the flip side, one loss to Michigan and suddenly the Zach Smith stuff will be very relevant to them.
September 26th, 2018 at 10:45 PM ^
Eh, I think it might take two or three losses before OSU fans might actually care about domestic violence.
September 27th, 2018 at 9:06 AM ^
We'll get there, no worries.
September 26th, 2018 at 6:30 PM ^
If I were a more logical person, I'd respond, "Big deal. It's one dumbass fan from the worst fan base in America. Nothing to lose sleep over." But it just makes me want to see us pound them even more.
I was so spoiled growing up. Between the ages of 5 and 21, we lost to OSU just 3 times. I not only miss the wins, I miss having hope in this game.
Now I'm depressed. I need a drink.
September 26th, 2018 at 6:55 PM ^
If you're like 35-45 years old the last 10-15 years of this rivalry is hard to accept. I've taken up meditation to work on my acceptance. "Loving kindmess mmmm"
September 26th, 2018 at 6:30 PM ^
Win at all costs..no matter what..Lie Cheat and Steal to win and ANTHING to beat Michigan...its hardly an new concept at OLIEO ST
September 26th, 2018 at 7:00 PM ^
No there was a time this wasn't true. As hard as the last 18 years has been on us, remember we did the same to them for 15 years and I would argue it was worse because we ended their Nat. Title hope about 3 times and won one ourselves they truly believe they had a shot to win. This during a time when they really weren't historically bad give or take a year or two, unlike our late Carr, RR to Hoke era.
They sold their souls with Tressel, everyone knew he was slimey at Youngstown State before he ever arrived in Columbus, they didn't care, beating Michigan now meant everything to them. They've become much more like an organized crime family than a University, it wasn't always like that.