Gene Smith appeared before Congress on Wednesday to discuss potential legislation related to NIL. During that discussion, Smith made a reference to Marvin Harrison Jr.’s Peach Bowl injury to call for oversight.

In the second half against Georgia, Harrison was knocked from the game after a hard hit in the back of the end zone. The play — initially flagged for targeting — was overturned on review, but Harrison was unable to return to the game due to injury.

Smith included in his Wednesday comments that Ohio State “probably could have won” the national title if Ohio State had allowed Harrison to remain in the game. He compared the decision to keep Harrison out of action as “independent oversight.”

“We probably could have won the national championship last year if we had let Marvin Harrison continue to play,” said Smith via Pete Nakos with On3 Sports. “But at the end of the day, he had a bad hit so we took him out. That was independent oversight.”

While it’s true Harrison had a huge game before his injury, it was ultimately an Ohio State defense that gave up 18 4th-quarter points that proved to be the difference. The Buckeyes also missed a potential game-winning field goal as time expired.