Three Saturdays off

At the end of a typical college football game, many players have smudges of dirt and grass on their uniforms. Ohio State is a bit different. Before the first kickoff, the entire program is wearing a conspicuous stain. Last week, the university announced that it was suspending head coach Urban Meyer for three weeks and athletic director Gene Smith for two weeks over their handling of assistant coach Zach Smith. He was fired in July after his ex-wife Courtney got a protective order, accusing him of stalking and harassment as well as “physical violence.” He had been arrested in 2009, while working for Meyer at the University of Florida, for aggravated battery against her. At the time, they were married and she was pregnant—but she ultimately declined to press charges. In 2015, police investigated new allegations of more violence by her husband against her. Meyer knew about the 2015 abuse allegations, but he and the athletic director didn’t see the need to inform their superiors, as university rules mandate. When news reports emerged about the restraining order, Meyer asked an associate athletic director how to delete old text messages from his phone—which, when examined by investigators, had none that dated back more than a year. When Meyer was asked at the July 24 Big Ten media day about the 2015 episode, he denied knowing about it. At the news conference where his suspension was announced, Meyer downplayed his errors, saying such things as “There was some behavior going on that maybe I was unaware of but I should have been aware of” and “I followed my heart, not my head.” The penalty he faces, missing the first three contests of the season, is mighty light punishment. It’s also probably less than what a losing head coach would have gotten.