Ohio State puts Meyer on leave
Ohio State placed football coach Urban Meyer on paid administrative leave while it investigates claims that his wife knew about allegations of domestic violence against an assistant coach years before he was fired last week.
Courtney Smith gave an interview to Stadium, a multiplatform sports network, and provided text messages between her and Shelley Meyer in 2015 and with the wives of other Buckeyes coaches. Courtney Smith also provided threatening texts she said came from her ex-husband, former assistant Zach Smith.
“Shelley said she was going to have to tell Urban,” Courtney Smith told Stadium. “I said: ‘That’s fine, you should tell Urban.’ ”
Smith was fired last week after an Ohio court granted a domestic violence protective order to Courtney Smith.
Hours after Courtney Smith’s interview was posted online yesterday, Ohio State said it was conducting an investigation into the allegations and Meyer was being placed on leave. Offensive coordinator Ryan Day will serve as acting head coach.
Meyer said he and athletic director Gene Smith agree that being on leave was best for the investigation.
“This allows the team to conduct training camp with minimal distraction. I eagerly look forward to the resolution of this matter,” he said.
Meyer is heading into his seventh season at Ohio State, where he is 73-8 with a national title in 2014 and two Big Ten Conference championships. Shelley Meyer, a registered nurse, is employed as an instructor at Ohio State. Both Meyers and his wife could be in violation of Title IX policy on reporting allegations of domestic violence against university employees.
Zach Smith was charged in May with misdemeanor criminal trespass. He pleaded not guilty, and a hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.
Zach Smith was also accused of aggravated battery on his then pregnant wife in 2009 while a graduate assistant on Meyer’s staff at Florida. The charge was dropped because of insufficient evidence. Urban Meyer brought Smith to Ohio State in 2012.
At Big Ten media day, Meyer said he knew of the incident in 2009 and that he and Shelley Meyer addressed it with the Smiths. The Smiths divorced in 2016.