Urban Meyer has Ohio State wrapped around his finger
It’s official — Urban Meyer has Ohio State wrapped around his finger.
That’s what Wednesday’s 12-hour fiasco in Columbus proved. That waiting game concluded with a press conference in which we learned that the Ohio State coach was suspended for 3 games.
You’ll notice that I said “the Ohio State coach” and not “the ex-Ohio State coach,” as he should have been. But instead, Ohio State did whatever it could to cover up for Meyer, who covered up for Zach Smith. You know, the guy who was fired for repeated domestic violence allegations.
How do I know that? Well, because I heard it loud and clear from the head of the investigative team, Mary Jo White.
At that disaster of a press conference, she claimed that Meyer did not “deliberately lie” at B1G Media Media Days when he said that he didn’t find out about Smith’s 2015 allegation until the night before he spoke in Chicago.
Wait, what?
Meyer didn’t “deliberately lie?” So when he released a statement via Twitter days after he was put on administrative leave, and he admitted he wasn’t truthful about his knowledge of the 2015 incident, what was that? That was Meyer admitting he lied and Brett McMurphy’s report proved it.
But the investigative team found that Meyer didn’t “deliberately” lie. In other words, they tried to say it was an accident that Meyer provided false information when asked about Smith 9 times at B1G Media Days. Meyer was then “accidentally lying,” according to what White said.
I’d love to know how one accidentally lies 9 times and then releases a statement admitting to be purposefully untruthful … only to have an investigative team find that it wasn’t “deliberate.”
Actually, I know the answer to that question. Ohio State is how that happens. Meyer is how that happens. Winning a national title and going 47-3 against the Big Ten is how that happens. Stepping in for a 6-win program and instantly turning it into one of the nation’s best in Year 1 is how that happens.

Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
There’s a reason that after Meyer’s original statement, public opinion went from thinking he had coached his last game at Ohio State to Ohio State is going to do whatever it can to keep him. The university would take the public relations hit even if it meant saying ridiculous things like Meyer didn’t “deliberately” lie.
The university had to know that it was going to get roasted for any outcome that wasn’t terminating Meyer. That’s exactly what happened.
White should have basically come out and said “we absolutely didn’t want to fire Meyer, and we hope this 3-game suspension makes everyone forget that he protected an admitted domestic abuser on his staff and then lied about it to the world, and tried to bully a reporter for discovering that information.”
The sick thing is that Meyer called this “a learning experience” for him. What did he learn? How to win enough games to keep his job? Certainly Meyer didn’t learn anything about showing remorse to domestic violence victims or else he wouldn’t have responded the way he did when asked if he had anything to say to Courtney Smith. Meyer and Ohio State officials apologized to Buckeye Nation multiple times.
What did Meyer have to say to Courtney Smith?
Urban on what he’d say to Courtney Smith: “I’m sorry we’re in this situation.” WTF?
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) August 23, 2018
Meyer might as well walk into the Ohio State locker room and tear down the sign with the program’s core values that reads “Treat Women With Respect.”
At this point, does Ohio State even care what kind of core values Meyer is preaching? Again, they covered up for Meyer admittedly lying about knowledge of an admitted domestic abuser — something Zach Smith admitted in text messages to Courtney Smith — in order to justify not firing him.
What a joke.
That’s what Wednesday night’s press conference felt like. One big joke. It was a tone deaf, awful look for the university that’ll have a lasting impact.
This was never about showing remorse to the proper people. Buckeye Nation doesn’t deserve an apology.
This was about a university going to great lengths to protect Meyer after he wrongly protected the grandson of his mentor Earle Bruce. Meyer said that “he could’ve done more” to find out about Zach Smith’s past. Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, who was suspended as well, echoed that sentiment.
Meyer did know enough about Zach Smith’s past, though. And he can say all he wants that he wasn’t aware of his wife’s text messages with Courtney Smith, but it doesn’t change what Meyer did. That is, have Zach Smith on his staff longer than anyone at Ohio State, despite the fact that he admittedly knew about his 2009 domestic violence arrest.
But hey, in 3 games, Ohio State can pretend this never happened. When Meyer’s suspension is done, he’ll still be back in plenty of time to lead the program to a Playoff push and inevitably make the university tens of millions of dollars by filling up Ohio Stadium every week.
If Buckeye fans are still unwilling to see the admitted errors in Meyer’s actions — many are based on my mentions — then there’s nothing I can do to save them. Meyer’s got them wrapped around his finger, too. He tricked them into thinking that all he was guilty of was lying to the media, and that using the shield that is THEE Ohio State University to cover up for Zach Smith isn’t a deeply concerning course of action.
There are a whole lot of people who Meyer didn’t fool, though. Something tells me they’re done letting Meyer preach about how much he’s changed since he was at Florida. He instead just found a new program to cover up for his actions.
And clearly, that program is at his mercy.
We all knew the investigation was going to be a joke, and they didn’t disappoint. Didn’t intend to lie nine times. It’s amazing they even have the gall to say that. So much for that goofball Ohio State writer saying people will owe Meyer an apology. Apologists are just a sad lot, and this school is full of them. At least it wasn’t a time served penalty as some has suggested. I guess that’s something.
^This man speaks truth. The B1G has to do these things to come close to the SEC. The SEC/NCAA shredded Ole Miss in a heartbeat once wrongdoing was discovered. Same with Florida’s players. And yet, we’re still the best.
As much as we all enjoy teasing you on here Connor, this article was well written and well said. This whole situation just kinda proves that morals and ethics do have a price tag.
Who is teasing?
Just to be clear you’re saying you’re not a cock tease?
Wow thanks for sharing issues buried deep in your psyche.
Urban Meyer is an arrogant, self serving man. I thought better of Gene Smith up until the time he became AD at Ohio State. He, too, is an arrogant man and the two of them fit the profile for that University very well. I’m glad that the president stuck to his guns on the suspension. The reading of the statement by Meyer was a joke…not contrite and extremely petulant. His wife should also be fired from her role at the university for not reporting the abuse when she knew about it.
Who knew? Apparently James Comey headed this “investigation.”
In the public arena, Urban Meyer was tried, prosecuted, and the mob was ready to run the spit through him, light the fire and cook and eat him while tailgating at….. anywhere but Columbus. What we are reading now from every national sportswriter that stated Meyer must go, is a bit of sour grapes. I am not a Ohio State fan, but instead a retired Federal Special Agent, and everyone should be thankful that Mary Jo White did not bow to the pressure from the “mob mentality”, and instead conducted a by the book investigation. White is a former US Attorney from New York with a reputation of getting to the facts and being beyond reproach. When Paul Finebaum, who was on record that Meyer must go, provided a statement over the telephone tonight and said he didn’t like the way Meyer presented himself at the podium today…..really Paul? Goodness gracious, we have lost forever the art of reporting the facts without including bias. I guess writing just the facts is so boring right now, and the catchphrase seems to be “the fix was in” or “it was a joke” if the investigation didn’t conclude like the reader wanted.
Normally, I would tend to agree with your general sentiment concerning the mob mentality. But, there is enough in this “investigation” that I have my doubts about its impeccable nature.
1) There was nothing in the result that really surprises anyone outside of Columbus (with the exception that many might have expected “time served”). So, regardless of what some might have wanted to see, I doubt they expected it very much.
2) Ms. Mary Jo White may have heretofore had a spotless reputation but when she starts providing her belief that Meyer had no intent to lie, no *intent* to lie, then she’s left the narrow lanes of unbiased legal investigation. She caught Meyer in a lie (multiple lies) so reporting that couldn’t be avoided, but how does she know his intent? That attempt at mitigation is not required by the unbiased investigator. If one misspeaks through lack of knowledge then that’s not a lie, it’s a mistake. If one misspeaks with knowledge then that is a lie and inherent in a lie is intent. If he misspoke then why is he being punished at all? If he lied (9 times as it seems) then why is he still employed?
3) The whole lack of intent angle just looks too much like a page out of Comey’s playbook. And as I recall, his reputation was above reproach too.
All good points. I’m just glad I wasn’t the investigator taxed with that case. I think the real truth was in the marathon meeting that was scheduled for one hour and went close to 10, where we can all assume the only debate was not whether he knew or not, but instead what they were going to do with him. IMO this season will be a test; if things die down then life is good and things go on as normal. If they don’t, we are probably seeing the last year with Urban Meyer. I’ll conclude with this….the biggest truth that came out which most already felt, was that Meyer’s judgement was tarnished due to Smith’s Grandfather.
It’s you that seems biased wrangler. Do you not understand Finebaum’s job? He get paid to give his opinion. Mary Jo gave her opinion that somehow saying an obvious lie nine times is unintentional. Explain that away. She is far from beyond reproach.
Her job was to present the facts to the deciders, which she did. She erred when she spoke at the podium yesterday, as one can imagine she was asked by the deciders to speak about the case because of the obvious uproar it was going to cause. About Paul Finebaum, I actually like him, most in the SEC do. But because Paul, like so many of his counterparts, had came out so strongly against Meyer since the day the news broke, and long before the facts were in, he had no choice but to find fault in something yesterday, and I thought it was a bit much to talk about Meyer’s tone of voice yesterday….really? And bias? We all are to an extent, by nature. As a former investigator, it was an endless job of addressing one side always being disappointed in the outcome, and this case was no different. In this particular case, everyone lost.
Hmm…let’s recap. Oh, and by the way, I did read the entire investigation transcript.
Investigation reveals Meyer DID KNOW about continued abuse since 2009, including 2015.
Investigation reveals AD and other staff members DID KNOW about sordid history of Zach Smith.
Investigation reveals Urban Meyer discussed Smith family issues with wife Shelley.
Investigation reveals BOTH Meyers believed Courtney Smith was exaggerating the truth.
Investigation reveals BOTH Meyers supported position of Zach Smith.
Investigation reveals Urban Meyer conspired with staff member to delete potential evidence from cell phone records.
Investigation reveals OSU delayed responding to open records request from OWN STUDENT NEWSPAPER until after those records are deleted.
Investigation reveals current AD urged Urban Meyer to consider terminating Zach Smith for current and past behavior.
Investigation reveals Urban Meyer KNEW of Zach Smith entertaining high school coaches at strip club.
Investigation reveals Urban Meyer withheld knowledge of potential NCAA violations from strip club entertainment.
Investigation reveals Urban Meyer TOLD EVERYONE on the OSU staff to not discuss Zach Smith troubles.
These are the highlights, so yes, let’s blame the media. After all, the “independent investigation team” has declared Urban Meyer a savant. Meyer lied and lied repeatedly, but hey, it wasn’t intentional! Those momentary failures of moral consciousness were just memory lapses. It happens…just not on game days!
Being a retired g-man doesn’t make you anymore knowledgeable on what transpired than anyone else on here unless you called someone who knows someone who…. the fact White worked in the US atty office may very well give her good experience running an investigation. But either the man did what he was accused of or he didn’t. The suspension and the facts presented to us all point to a high degree of complicity by meyer. And exactly how does one accidentally lie. Sounds like something a 6 year old would say. What a moronic statement. I don’t have anything against Meyer. Dont want to see anyone lose their jobs either, even millionaires who wouldn’t be hurt by it. But our schools must put ethics and morals above all else.
That was to wrangler
That’s three more games than what the penalty would be if the same happens at Kentucky with John Calipari.
^ clean up the NCAA
So yeah, bad look. Guilty but not REALLY guilty. Not THAT guilty. A suspension that’s really not a suspension – just can’t wear a headset the first 3 game days. A carefully orchestrated attempt to appear rigorous and concerned without really endangering the 2018 season.
Now we’ll see what the blowback looks like. Signs at OSU’s away games should be interesting, though I doubt ESPN will show them if they can avoid it.
This is a very good article, Connor. It’s unfortunate that it had to be written in the first place and even more unfortunate that OS verified that winning is everything at all costs.
Bad Urban (slaps wrist)…..Don’t do it again (wink wink)
Connor this is the best summary I’ve seen you write. Thanks for putting it altogether. Sad, Sad, Sad, day for college football. THIS is why standards in college football are important. This is why we have an NCAA. I guess as fans we have been kidding ourselves about the NCAA gaining ground on sleezy programs. Now we not only have them, we have to let them flaunt their sleeze. Please continue your journalistic work to improve college football.
The NCAA’s role in college football is enforcing rules around amateurism.
So no, “this” is not why we have an NCAA.
He was supposedly a Divison 1 coach but doesn’t know the role of the NCAA…
All I could think about after listening UM last night was glad my Granddaughter changed her plans to attend Ohio seems as there going to feel it in the pocket book for their inactions. When a coach has no respect for its females on campus or off then it’d time for the public to act with their pocket book and I hope they do.
The fix was in right from the start of that investigation.
If they found something (more and unknown) that they knew would come out, they would have fired him. If they didn’t find much more, he was going to keep his job. Period.
A.J Green sold his Bowl jersey and got a 4 game suspension. Meyer did this and OS gave him 3…
OS brought Meyer in, despite all his sins at Florida. They painted the narrative of a cleansed man. Meyer even had a book written about values and leadership to further sell the image makeover.
Now everybody knows that Meyer didn’t change. And Meyer now knows he has found a place where he can be himself and get away with it. Why would any parent send their son to be influenced by a man like that?
Remind me again what Meyers “sins at Florida” were? Recruiting Aaron Hernandez?
I have a feeling that if there’s ever a Jim McElwain scandal you’re not going to care at all.
What a tragedy for the victim and a laughable effort by OSU at doling out a reasonable punishment. I tend to ignore recruits twitter activity as they are in highschool and haven’t matured yet but I noticed some articles that pointed out how OSU recruits were happy and excited that OSU had their “leader” back. If this is the type of man that we entrust to lead our youth then I am saddened by what our future holds. I simply expected more from an institution that carries the weight like OSU.
As we mostly all know, a good coach’s inappropriate actions are often overlooked because he wins. After all, isn’t that the main reason he was hired? So, administration often beats around the bush and speaks around the truth to retain said coach. One exception is Bobby Petrino while at Arkansas. AD Long didn’t hesitate one moment to fire him for lying. Those who are crying out for wins want the inappropriate actions to be forgiven/overlooked while the more “justice-minded” ones will not.
I seriously don’t give a flying puck.
Wait a second…
Not that I do not agree with almost every word this writer wrote about the ludicrous decision and the overwhelming HYPROCRISY of the osuX fans, alumni, staff and executives, because I do! However, osuX PROVED they could care less about having “ethical” behavior of ANY kind in their JOKE of an athletic department YEARS and YEARS and YEARS ago!
This is a group of morons who praise a coach for coming off the sidelines and HITTING a young man DURING a nationally televised game 40-50 years ago!
Then, they praise the coach who bought and paid for talented and ethical players like Maurice Clarett and tried to over up Tatoo-gate!
I mean, come on??? There is not ONE person alive outside of their HOMER fan base that believes ANYTHING that comes out of any of their mouths! They are ALL Jokes, Punch-lines and an embarrassment to College Football!