Meyer says he didn’t lie
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer is pushing back on the reasons for his three-game suspension with claims that don’t fully square with details laid out in the independent investigation that led to his punishment.
Meyer tweeted a statement Friday that he said was intended to clarify what he calls incorrect media reports about his suspension.
Ohio State suspended Meyer for three games for mismanaging former wide receivers coach Zach Smith, who has been accused of domestic abuse by his ex-wife, Courtney Smith. Investigators said Meyer didn’t properly handle the abuse claims and other bad behavior by the assistant coach.
Meyer said it’s not accurate that he was suspended because he “knew about or condoned Zach Smith’s alleged domestic abuse.”
Investigators said Meyer knew about several allegations against the coach before the coach was fired. The report also said Meyer didn’t think there was enough evidence to report Smith’s issues to compliance officers, which investigators called a misunderstanding of the reporting requirements.
Meyer also said in his newest statement: “I did not lie at Big Ten Media Days” when he told reporters he didn’t know about accusations against Smith.
Investigators said they do not believe Meyer “deliberately” lied but said they can’t rule it out and that he clearly intended to not disclose details about Smith’s problems to media. The report said Meyer took that intention too far even after conversations with the athletic director and others about how to respond to questions.
University spokesman Chris Davey said the decision to suspend Meyer was based on the information in the independent investigation. He also pointed to school president Michael Drake’s statement from the day Meyer was disciplined, which said: “I want to state clearly that we believe Urban Meyer did not and does not condone domestic abuse. However, he did fail to take sufficient management action regarding Zach Smith — and he was not as complete and accurate at media days and did not uphold the high standards and values of the university on that day.”