Meyer’s retirement comes four months too late
There is a difference between being a good coach and being a good man.
That’s worth remembering as Urban Meyer is lauded and celebrated after his decision Tuesday to step down as Ohio State’s coach – a decision he should have made four months ago, mind you. A decision that should have been made for him, really, after it became clear he’d enabled an alleged domestic abuser, then lied about it to protect his own reputation.
Meyer is, without question, a great coach, one of the best the college game has ever seen. Three national titles, a career winning percentage of .853 be- fore his final game and dozens of players who made it to the NFL.
He is also callous and calculating, willing to bend his morals to fit his needs. Though he spoke often about the importance of character and accountability, and how he insisted on both from his players, his true guiding force was self-preservation.
That was made abundantly clear this summer as Meyer lied about what he knew and when about former assistant Zach Smith’s history of alleged domestic abuse and did whatever he needed to cover his tracks. The “misstatements” at Big Ten media day. The sudden curiosity about erasing old text messages. The unusual lack of communication between him and wife Shelley about her