This is a story about the football program at Ohio State University. It is a school with a tremendous history of success on the football field. The 2018 version has been no different. Ohio State has a perfect 7-0 record thus far, a #2 national ranking in the AP poll, and a clear path to yet another College Football Playoff with its only real potential roadblocks being its season finale against arch nemesis Michigan at home (not likely), and its date with Michigan State in East Lansing two weeks prior (even less likely).
Most importantly, Ohio State is a school with a magnificent football coach named Urban Meyer…
Who should be fired.
Before getting into all that, lets take a look at Meyer’s credentials. After serving several years as the wide receiver coach at Notre Dame, Meyer got his first head-coaching gig at Bowling Green for the 2001 and 2002 seasons. There, he led the Falcons to its first two winning seasons in 7 years. Next up, Meyer went on to Utah. The Utes, still slumming it in the Mountain West Conference at the time, were coming off a losing season themselves, until Meyer the savior came in and coached them up to a 10-win season in 2003, followed by an undefeated 2004 campaign that culminated in a BCS Bowl victory over Pittsburgh and Alex Smith going first overall in the following NFL draft.
Urban Meyer was now officially the “it” coach in college football, and he parlayed his success into his first major position, head coach at Florida. Meyer won two national titles at Florida, cementing his place among the elite coaches in the nation. He even made Tim Tebow, the first name that comes to mind when anyone mentions poor throwing mechanics, arguably the most prolific and celebrated college quarterback of this generation.
Hold up. Not sure why I was so professional about that last statement. Poor throwing mechanics? That’s not like me. Let me try that again.
He even made Tim Tebow, the ugliest freakin’ passer of the football I think I’ve ever seen, a guy that jumped into the air to make his goal line tosses, a guy that was for some god awful reason drafted in the first round and is now playing baseball, a guy that realistically should have been an I-formation fullback rather than a spread offence quarterback, a guy who is to throwing a football what the current cast of Saturday Night Live is to being funny (sorry but not sorry SNL fans), arguably the most prolific and celebrated college quarterback of this generation.
There, that’s better. Back to Urban.
After some health issues, and a 7-5 season in 2010 (his worst as a head coach anywhere), Meyer left Gainesville for what many believed to be a life in broadcasting. This, however, was short-lived, as just a year later Meyer took the top job in Columbus. What has he done since? He went undefeated in his very first year, and won the national championship at the end of the 2014 season despite an early home loss to a below-average Virginia Tech team, making Meyer just the third coach in the history of the FBS to win titles with two different programs.
Sounds like a great guy right?
WELLLLLLLLL
Not so fast.
While avoiding controversy during his ridiculously rapid rise to becoming the most sought after coach in the country with his impressive stints at Bowling Green and Utah, the same cannot be said during his tenure with the Gators. In his unbelievably successful six year run at Florida, Meyer became the poster boy for bringing in players that were not good people. Furthermore, when those bad kids did bad things, Meyer also became the poster boy for giving them the benefit of the doubt, and keeping them around.
But man, did those Gators ever win a lot of football games.
When I say bad things, I’m not talking about selling off their stuff for tattoos (not random, this is foreshadowing). No, I’m talking crimes like felony theft and domestic assault. Astonishingly, over 30 players were arrested during Meyer’s reign in Gainesville, arrested for a range of very serious offences.
But man, did those Gators ever win a lot of football games.
This brings us to Zach Smith. A man who while on Meyer’s staff at Florida as a graduate assistant was arrested in 2009 for allegedly physically assaulting his then pregnant wife by slamming her against a wall. Meyer, just as he had done with many of his players over his time with the Gators, looked the other way.
Then, when Meyer went to Ohio State, he brought Smith with him.
Why you ask?
Perfect question, and I appreciate you bringing it up. You see, Smith is one hell of a recruiter, and a damn fine football coach.
Oh, you wanted more? Sorry, that’s all I’ve got.
Next question. What was different about the 2015 domestic violence charge against Smith, the one that has made headlines this year, from the 2009 one?
This time, Zach’s brave wife Courtney Smith brought proof. She brought two types of proof. First, she released photos of her injuries allegedly caused by Zach. Second, she released text messages, assuring that Urban’s wife Shelley was well aware of the trauma occurring in Courtney’s life.
I am not a lawyer, judge, legal professional of any kind, nor do I know any of the people in this article. Therefore, I will not sit here writing and state without a shadow of a doubt that Zach Smith hit his wife. However, it is now well known that Shelley Meyer was definitely told by Courtney Smith that Zach had abused her in 2015. What does Urban have to say about that you ask?
He denies having any prior knowledge of such allegations.
So, in summary, either Urban Meyer and his wife never talk, or Urban is lying… I’ll let you decide.
Let’s switch gears slightly.
Meyer replaced Jim Tressel as head coach of the Buckeyes in 2012 (forgive me Luke Fickell, but your one year bridge stint is being ignored here). Tressel was not fired from Ohio State, but it certainly felt like it. Without getting in to too much detail here, Tressel was coaching during the infamous tattoo parlor scandal, where many players had been exchanging their hard earned accolades such as national title rings for some sick tats.
What was the result? Just the NCAA forcing the school to forfeit all their victories from 2010 (making them 0-1, not 12-1), and having Urban’s undefeated 2012 Buckeyes, in his first season at the helm, disqualified from Bowl contention despite being ranked third in the nation, per the AP.
The initial reaction, to an outside non-football fan observer, I would imagine, would be “Wow, if that’s the penalty the school got for players selling their bling for body ink, I bet they got the book thrown at them for housing a man known to have allegedly hurt his wife on multiple occasions, right?”
Ummmmm, not quite.
No, old Urban got a three game slap on the wrist, with the school sailing by scot-free.
That’s right ladies and gentlemen. The NCAA thinks broke students getting tattoos is more of a crime than coaches allegedly hurting their spouses.
To make matters just so much worse, old Urban appeared full-blown contemptuous during his media apology to the point where he had to have a do-over.
That’s right folks. Meyer’s apology was so unconvincing that he had to do it twice. Ever seen someone apologize for an apology? If not, check out those two press conferences.
The key world in the last point was unconvincing. As that is what the moment clearly was to Meyer. He had to convince people he was sorry. Which to me can mean one thing and one thing only.
He’s not sorry.
The look on Meyer’s face as he spoke to the media was not one that plead ‘I’m so sorry that I didn’t do something sooner.’ Instead, it read, ‘I’m so sorry that Zach Smith is such a terrible man for making me speak to you people about something that isn’t football.’
The worst part about all of this is how quickly the story has faded. In an era in the United States where a prominent public figure can sanction grabbing women by their genitalia and have almost 63 Million people vote them into the world’s most powerful position in the name of “making America great again,” having a prominent football coach turn a blind eye at his good buddy allegedly hurting his wife has evaporated, and I refuse to stand idly by as it does.
Ohio State is sending a terrible message by allowing this man to coach their football team. His history, both with players and Zach Smith, demonstrate that Meyer will ignore just about anything if it means climbing to the top of the ranks. Furthermore, the NCAA and the Ohio State administration were so quick to close in on that tyrant Jim Tressel, with all his awful players wanting to destroy their bodies with ink. And yet, here is Urban Meyer, mired in controversy for a decade now for allowing criminals (and alleged criminals) on his football team, all finished with his ridiculous three game suspension, with a talented roster en route to yet another playoff birth.
Football coaches, especially at the college level, are supposed to be “molders of men.” Urban Meyer’s track record demonstrates he lacks a great deal in this department. Meyer needs he needs to be held accountable, and he needs to go.
But man, do those Buckeyes ever win a lot of football games.