Following a late Wednesday night press conference, Ohio State University released the complete findings of its independent investigation into coach Urban Meyer and the school’s handling of allegations made against former wide receiver coach Zach Smith by his ex-wife Courtney Smith.
Buckeye fans will learn this morning that, among other things, Meyer has had “significant memory issues” which apparently gets worse when he takes pills. There is no further explanation as to what, exactly, that means for a public official who earns $7.5 million per year handling one of the largest college football programs in the country.
Among the more disturbing findings in the 23-page document:
- Upon a journalists Aug. 1 report alleging Urban Meyer knew about Courtney Smith’s allegations of abuse in 2015, director of football operations Brian Voltolini approached Meyer on the practice field. The two discussed “whether the media could get access to Coach Meyer’s phone and specifically discussed how to adjust the settings on Meyer’s phone so that text messages older than one year would be deleted.” In a subsequent review of Meyer’s phone, the investigators were unable to recover text messages older than one year. Though the investigators could not determine whether messages were actually deleted following the conversation with Voltolini, the findings stated the following: “It is nonetheless concerning that [Meyer’s] first reaction to a negative media piece exposing his knowledge of the 2015-2016 law enforcement investigation was to worry about the media getting access to information and discussing how to delete messages older than a year.”
- Athletic Director Gene Smith and Voltolini were both surprised by Meyer’s comments at Big Ten Media Days. The night before his press conference, Meyer was involved in a group text with Smith, Voltolini, Ohio State assistant AD Jerry Emig and director of player development Ryan Stamper about media reports surrounding Zach Smith that led to his dismissal. When questioned about the report of the incident with Smith in 2015 during Big Ten Media Days, Meyer said he knew nothing about it. In the days following Meyer’s press conference, both Smith and Voltolini told Meyer “he had, in fact, been aware of the law enforcement investigation involving allegations of abuse against Zach Smith in 2015.”
- Investigators learned that Meyer “has sometimes had significant memory issues in other situations where he had prior extensive knowledge of events. He has also periodically taken medicine that can negatively impair his memory, concentration and focus.” They accepted that as a legitimate reason for him not remembering past events, such as the details of the 2015 incident.
- Zach Smith’s job performance suffered during his divorce proceedings in 2015. He was regularly late to practice and team meetings. He also failed to appear at recruiting visits at various high schools while claiming that he had been there. Meyer warned Smith that continued problems would lead to his dismissal. Gene Smith recommended to Meyer that he fire Zach Smith that year.
- Repeatedly, Zach Smith’s conduct was met with reprimands and warnings by Coach Meyer, but never a written report, never an investigation and no disciplinary action until July 23, 2018. While we do not doubt that Coach Meyer respects women and is dedicated to fostering an environment of respect for women in his program, his apparent blind spot for Zach Smith seems to have impaired his judgment and his management of the behavior of at least one of his assistants.
You can read the entire Ohio State Report On Urban Meyer here.
Meyer, who will not be allowed on the sidelines for games against Oregon State, Rutgers and TCU, will return to his post prior to the Buckeyes’ Week 4 meeting with Tulane.
Athletic Director Gene Smith has also been suspended for two weeks without pay.