No one’s sad about Meyer
Bianchi: Hard to believe the Ohio State coach is done for good after years of misleading media, fans.
How sad is it that there is no sadness?
When Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer announced he was retiring Tuesday, the college football world reacted not with warm goodbyes and glowing tributes but with cynical comments and skeptical columns.
There were no heavy hearts; only cocked eyebrows.
Usually, when one of the greatest coaches of all time announces his retirement ostensibly for health reasons, there are cheers and tears and crying-in-our-beers. But on the day Urban Meyer supposedly retired, the first thought that crossed everybody’s mind was, “Yeah, right.”
“I believe I won’t coach again,” Meyer said Tuesday. I believe I don’t believe him. And neither does anybody else — including Meyer himself.
As the old joke goes, “How do you know when Urban Meyer is lying? … His lips are moving.”
Let’s not forget, it was just a couple of days ago when Meyer
said he planned on coaching at Ohio State next season. And, now, suddenly, he’s retiring for good? If you believe that, I have a some oceanfront property I’ll sell you in Topeka.
Seriously, will anybody be shocked in a few months if Meyer is coaching USC, Auburn, the Cleveland Browns or the Green Bay Packers?
Haven’t we seen this movie before?
It was eight years ago at the University of Florida when Meyer left ostensibly because of health reasons and because he wanted to spend more time with his family. Turns out, he wanted to spend more time with his ESPN family. Within weeks after leaving UF (and getting a $1 million retirement bonus on his way out the door), he was traveling the country as a roving ESPN college football commentator. Within months, he had accepted his “dream” job at Ohio State.
I can still hear the anger and disappointment in the voice of UF football legend and Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Jack Youngblood after Meyer accepted the job at Ohio State. Youngblood had considered Meyer a close friend — until he felt Meyer lied to him.
“When somebody tells me something to my face, I expect it to be the truth,” Youngblood told me then. “When it turns out to not be the truth, that doesn’t [put him] very high on my Christmas-card list.”
Even before that, Mike Freeman, a columnist for the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, referred to Meyer as “Urban Liar” because of his penchant for bending the truth. When Meyer was at UF, reporters joked that Meyer would say whatever he needed to say to get him through the next five minutes of the press conference — no matter if it was true or not. In other words — with the way he compromised ethics and integrity at Florida in the name of winning — the truth literally became a punchline.
And when you really think about it, it was his dishonesty that ultimately led to his “retirement” announcement on Tuesday. He not only lied to the media about his knowledge of domestic-violence allegations against now-fired assistant coach Zach Smith, he lied to Ohio State’s own administration. He was caught lying and deleting text messages by a university committee investigating why Meyer harbored a domestic abuser such as Smith on his staff for years.
Meyer was suspended for the first three games of this season, and I truly believe that’s why he stepped down on Tuesday. I think his ego took such a hit and his arrogance is so immense that he made the decision to leave right after the suspension. His “retirement” announcement is really just the culmination of a months-long temper tantrum.
It’s no secret, I am not big fan of Urban Meyer. I’ve written many times he is the most disingenuous coach I’ve ever covered as a sports writer. However, you cannot deny his greatness. He and Nick Saban are the only head coaches in major college history to win national championships at two different schools. His 186 wins are the most through 17 seasons in major college football history and his winning percentage (.853) is the highest. Then why? Why is there so much gladness instead of sadness today?
Why is Urban Meyer reviled when he should be revered?
My answer to these questions is based on the fact that I covered two of the greatest college football coaches in history — Meyer and Steve Spurrier — when they were at the University of Florida. I could tell you a zillion funny stories about Spurrier; I don’t have one I can tell you about Meyer.
Likewise, Gators fans adored the Head Ball Coach; they stomached Urban Meyer. They loved the candid, colorful Spurrier because he was not only a great tactician but an engaging personality; they tolerated the icy, aloof Meyer simply because he won a lot of games.
Urban Meyer, one of the greatest college football coaches in the history of the sport, announced his “retirement” on Tuesday. Isn’t anyone sad? Anyone? Anyone?