Smith said he supports the report's findings and the 17-day suspension OSU will give himOHIO STATE UNIV.
Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer and AD Gene Smith were suspended following the school's BOT ruling they erred in the "handling of domestic-abuse accusations against former assistant coach Zach Smith," according to a front-page piece by Bill Rabinowitz of the COLUMBUS DISPATCH. Meyer was suspended for the first three games of the season and suspended "without pay" through Sept. 2. Gene Smith "will be suspended without pay" from Aug. 31-Sept. 16. The BOT's investigative committee "interviewed more than 40 witnesses, some multiple times," while it also "reviewed more than 60,000 emails and 10,000 text messages in addition to other relevant information." It found Smith and Meyer “failed to adhere to the precise requirements of their contracts when they concluded that they needed to await a law enforcement determination to file charges” before reporting the accusations of Courtney Smith against Zach Smith. However, it stated that it "believed they had acted in good faith 'other than the misunderstanding of the requirements triggering reporting obligations.'" Gene Smith said, "I fully support the findings of the report and the subsequent actions the university has taken. ... I want to express my sincere apologies for the situation we're in" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 8/23). In Columbus, Rob Oller notes investigation committee head Mary Jo White "stressed that Meyer and Gene Smith each take domestic abuse seriously, but that they should have done more to report what they knew." Oller: "Essentially, the suspensions resulted from lack of leadership." Both Meyer and Smith have "paid a stiff price, and while both kept their jobs, the stain and embarrassment of what came down Wednesday night is real" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 8/23).
NO VIOLATION: OSU said Meyer and Smith "went too far" in their efforts to help Zach Smith, though neither "violated any policy, rules, law or contractual obligation." The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Rachel Bachman notes the school "punished them for waiting too long to report allegations of abuse" to the university. The school added that it will "undertake steps to make its reporting requirements clearer to employees" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/23). In N.Y., Marc Tracy notes the BOT "deliberated extensively over how many games Meyer should miss and painstakingly reviewed the report that had been prepared by investigators, and it brought Meyer and others in for questioning." OSU last night "released a 23-page summary of the findings of the investigation, which casts Zach Smith as "something of a ticking time bomb." It also "makes clear that Meyer kept Smith on, despite not only off-field troubles but a decline in his coaching performance" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/23). Also in N.Y., Howie Kussoy notes the school determined Meyer "didn't cover up" the allegations despite the fact that he "mishandled" the situation. Meyer said, "My role is to set a good example. In this instance, I did not live up to the university's standard" (N.Y. POST, 8/23). In Cleveland, Bill Landis writes under the header, "Urban Meyer Investigation: What You Need To Know About Ohio State's Report" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 8/23). In DC, Timothy Bella writes the Meyer case is the "latest chapter in a period of negligence at college athletic departments regarding domestic violence, sexual assault and institutional chaos" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/23).
MIDDLE GROUND: In Cleveland, Doug Lesmerises writes OSU "threaded the needle between no punishment and dismissal." The findings "scolded Meyer and Smith for a failure of leadership." The end result "was reasonable," but it could have been "more severe" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 8/23). FS1's Shannon Sharpe said he is "trying to figure out how Gene Smith kept his job." Sharpe said, "He's been involved in two of the worst scandals in Ohio State history" ("Undisputed," FS1, 8/23). ESPN's Rece Davis said of Meyer's suspension, "He either did something to rise to the level of his removal, or he didn't and I'm skeptical about the suspension because of this." Davis said it seems like the suspension "doesn't do much." ESPN's Ryan Smith called the suspension a "slap on the wrist because ... they reported in their findings that he failed to report that he deliberately lied" ("Thinking Out Loud," ESPN2, 8/22). The PLAIN DEALER's Landis writes this result "leaves to question whether things can ever be the same for a coach who holds" an HOF resume. OSU President Michael Drake "essentially dodged a question asking if termination was on the table for either" Meyer or Smith. Firing Meyer "without cause would have cost" OSU around $38M (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 8/23).
SELF-DEFENSE: In Jacksonville, Gene Frenette writes OSU "practiced self-defense as well." It "protected its brand" and Meyer, even as his image off it "becomes more suspect as time goes on" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 8/23). SI.com's Andy Staples writes if this "leads to more thorough background checks of job candidates of a large state’s flagship university, then maybe a sliver of good will come from this sorry situation." However, it currently is "tough to tell if anyone actually learned anything." Meyer "turned a blind eye to what was going on in his program," while Smith "failed to lead." Drake and the board "split the baby, and by the middle of next month, life will go on at Ohio State as if nothing happened" (SI.com, 8/23). ESPN's Mike Greenberg said of the investigation, "It strikes me as though the transparency of it, which I really thought was going to be a good thing, turns out to work the other way" ("Get Up!," ESPN, 8/23). NBC Sports' Craig Calcaterra: "As an Ohio State alum and a 25+ year resident of Columbus I can tell you with 100% certainty that people here think that three games for Meyer is WAY too harsh" (TWITTER.com, 8/22).
BLIND SPOT: YAHOO SPORTS' Pat Forde wrote under the header, "Urban Meyer Keeping Ohio State Job Shows Winning Is Everything" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 8/22). ESPN's Sarah Spain said this 100% "feels like protection of a winner," and that what seems to be "most important to us is winning games and money" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 8/23). ESPN's Mike Golic Jr. asked, "How are we to believe this is anything other than wins and losses?" ("Golic & Wingo," ESPN Radio, 8/23). USA TODAY's Christine Brennan writes Meyer is now a "diminished version of his once mighty self." Brennan: "He is a weakened, lesser man" (USATODAY.com, 8/23). YAHOO SPORTS' Dan Wetzel wrote there is "no indication Meyer is really better for this, more aware of the blind spots that got him here" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 8/22). THE RINGER's Ben Glicksman writes the move by OSU is a "colossal disappointment." The message it sent "struck exactly the wrong chord." Meyer "wasn't too big to fail, but was clearly too big to fall." This ruling "sets the precedent that the standard punishment for enabling domestic violence is three measly games" (THERINGER.com, 8/23). ESPN's Peter Burns: "Ohio State's decision to retain Urban Meyer after this investigation will ultimately do more harm to the school, the university leadership and to Urban himself in the long run." The Ringer's Mark Titus: "The fact that Gene has not only survived the Tressel and Meyer scandals but somehow got a lesser punishment than the coach in each instance is staggering. What a world" (TWITTER.com, 8/23).
