The ugly situation at Ohio State continues to get uglier, and the latest development involves the mother of fired assistant Zach Smith.

According to Lynn Bruce (Smith’s mom and the daughter of former Ohio State coach Earle Bruce), Smith’s ex-wife, Courtney, was out for vengeance after Smith cheated on her.

Per a story from reporter and author Jeff Snook (posted on his Facebook page), Bruce said her former daughter-in-law said several times that Urban Meyer was in her crosshairs:

“She told me that not one time, but in fact she said it several times over the years,” Bruce said. “When she found out five years ago that Zach had cheated on her, she was so angry that she vowed to me she would get back at him someday. And she said she would take Urban down, too. And this is exactly what she did. She wanted to do as much damage as possible. She has been planning this for some time.”

Obviously, the mother of the accused isn’t the most unbiased source, but Snook also reportedly talked to Courtney Smith’s mom, who agreed with Bruce:

“I believe that Zach was removing himself from an argument and I do not believe he intentionally abused her,” Tina Carano said. “I do not believe he actually intentionally swung or punched her … no.”

These quotes are certainly interesting, and Ohio State will likely look into them. It’s a fine line between victim-blaming and defending someone, and Snook’s reporting is likely to be heavily scrutinized in the coming weeks.