The Ohio State University Football Head Coach has been placed on paid administrative leave as the university investigates whether or not he knew of a domestic violence situation related to his staff.
Urban Meyer is under fire after the ex-wife of fired Wide Receiver Coach Zach Smith came forward claiming that Meyer knew of Smith’s abusive behavior.
In 2015, Courtney Smith the then wife of Zach Smith came forward with claims of domestic violence which led to Smith being investigated for suspicion of felony domestic violence. On July 23, Smith was fired from the University following the domestic violence investigation.
Now, Courtney Smith is saying that Head Coach Urban Meyer knew about the situation when it first happened and didn’t say anything. Smith claims that she confided in Meyer’s wife, Shelley, during the time she was married to Zach Smith which leads her to believe that the OSU Head Coach would know exactly what happened. The University is placing Meyer on paid administrative leave on the cusp of the 2018 season as they open an investigation into whether or not the OSU head coach did, in fact, know that this was going on and suppressed the information.
According to an ESPN report, “On July 25, Meyer denied knowing that Zach Smith had been accused of domestic violence in 2015, saying at Big Ten media days that ‘I was never told about anything.’ Meyer said the decision to fire Smith was a ‘very tough call.'”
Courtney Smith claims that not only Shelley Meyer, but “all” the coaches wives knew of her claims. Should Smith’s new claims against the embattled NCAA coach prove fruitful, Meyer’s era as Head Coach could see its end date this year, and his legacy tainted.
You can read the full ESPN report here.
