Meyer Retained by Ohio State, but Suspended 3 Games
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$3.00 PERIODICAL NEWSPAPER CLASSIFICATION DATED MATERIAL PLEASE RUSH!! C M Vol. 37, No. 24 “For The Buckeye Fan Who Needs To Know More” August 2018 Y Back In A Bit K Meyer Retained By Ohio State, But Suspended 3 Games By TIM MOODY Buckeye Sports Bulletin Editor When Ohio State opens the season against Oregon State on Sept. 1, Urban Meyer won’t be on the Ohio Stadium side- lines. He won’t be there a week later when the Buckeyes take on Rutgers in the Big Ten opener, either. And a week after that, Meyer won’t be making the trip to Arlington, Texas, with his team for a prime-time showdown with TCU. Three games – that’s the main point of the punishment Meyer received from the university for mishandling the employment of former wide receivers coach Zach Smith, who was fired July 23. Though Meyer is held from his position as head coach for the first three games, he’ll otherwise be able to return to his regular coaching duties starting Sept. 2 – the day after the Buckeyes kick off their 2018 slate against the Beavers. Meyer will also forgo six weeks of pay in addition to his suspension, while athletic director Gene Smith will be sus- pended without pay from Aug. 31 through Sept. 16 – dates that include each of those first three games. The two most prominent fig- ures in the Ohio State athletic department – and two of the most TIM MOODY prominent figures in the sport SIDELINED – Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer was suspended by the university Aug. 22 through overall – were found to be at fault Sept. 2 in addition to gameday suspensions for Sept. 8 and Sept. 15. for mishandling a string of inci- dents involving Zach Smith, most That move sparked a media frenzy that lasted up to, and it took 10 hours of this is to try to make sure that we were notably their handling of a 2015 through, Ohio State’s final decision Aug. 22 – a span of three being thoughtful and considerate in every case. allegation of domestic abuse lev- weeks and a day that encompassed Ohio State’s entire fall “We know this is one of those circumstances where there eled against the former assistant camp and the beginning of the fall semester at the university. is no right answer. It’s very difficult to not – not possible to coach by his ex-wife, Courtney After an exhaustive meeting between university do something that makes everyone happy. And so in Smith. president Michael Drake, the board of trustees, that circumstance, we are trying not to seek the The punishment was handed the independent working group that over- sole perfect answer for everyone but to be fair, down after a 14-day investiga- saw the investigation and the investigators to be just, to be equitable and to be appropri- tion that was sparked over ques- themselves – a meeting that stretched past ate and to do what we can to help us make tions about Meyer’s knowledge the 10-hour mark while a throng of media BSB’S 2018 our program stronger.” of the 2015 allegations – notably members and fans waited inside and out- Drake, Gene Smith and Meyer each because he denied knowledge of side the Longaberger Alumni House – the FOOTBALL read prepared statements, with the latter those events while speaking at school finally came to its decision, and two expressing their apologies for the role Big Ten Media Days in Chicago Drake, Meyer, Gene Smith and Mary Jo PREVIEW they played in mishandling the allegations on July 24, the day after he fired White, the chair of the investigative team, against Zach Smith, and opting to keep him Zach Smith. As the result of a all had their say in a press conference. on staff up until July 23. They also addressed Call (614) 486-2202 media report suggesting that “We wanted to be fair. We wanted to be questions from media members during the Today To Subscribe To Today Meyer had, in fact, known about equitable,” Drake said in regard to the length, press conference. the allegations, he was placed on depth and scope of the Aug. 22 meeting. “We wanted to “I know the impact that the events (of the) last three paid administrative leave by the be just. We wanted to be appropriate. We worked to refine weeks have had on this institution, an institution that I love, university on Aug. 1 through the our decisions and our actions to be able to do the best that and how challenging this has been for our community, our Your Mailing Label Goes Here Mailing Your resolution of the investigation, we could to achieve those goals. president, a man who I have great respect for, and for that which is when his suspension “This is a very difficult and complicated situation. Many began. things to consider over a long period of time, and the reason Continued On Page 10 After a weeks-long process that included a 14-day independent investigation, Ohio State announced Aug. 22 that head football coach Urban Meyer would be suspended for three games while athlet- ic director Gene Smith would be suspended from Aug. 31 through Sept. 16. After the punishment was announced, we took to the BuckeyeSports.com Forum to see how BSB subscribers reacted to the news and the investigative report. To add your opinion on future topics, go to the Forum at BuckeyeSports.com. It’s disappointing that it had to come to this, but after reading that report, I slowly, slowly in the wind” for the better part of 10 agonizing hours it’s no don’t see how Urban could have avoided punishment. He might even be lucky wonder he was, as the ESPN attack dogs noted, a bit “unfocused” at the press that he wasn’t fired. This seems like a good resolution at the end of the day. conference. At least Gene Smith had his back, as Urban had the AD’s. On the – AcrossTheField other hand, Pres. Drake’s prepared statement was mostly devoid of any support for our AD and head coach – and in fact was far more derogatory toward I didn’t read the report until I got home and my mind is blown. A suspension them and the Athletic Department than was Mary Jo White, who headed the is sounding good right now after reading that. investigating team. As Coach Greg Schiano told the team: “It’s now Ohio State – Tiffin Buckeye against the world.” It would more properly be said that, “We have met the enemy and it is us.” Who is running things over there? They look like they don’t know what they Once again, that’s nothing new for my alma mater. Meyer and Gene Smith are doing. I would have said the same thing if Urban was given no suspension. may not have been thrown under the bus but they surely were tossed off it. If It’s embarrassing that an institution that large can’t get it right. only Michael Drake had half the character, guts and devotion to Ohio State as It’s not like they have a history of looking great in the PR department – from does Urban Meyer. Oh well. how they handled Tatgate, the band fiasco, the wrestling physician, and now Go Bucks! this. – Thomas Brownfield Please, somebody hire somebody that can make us look like we know what we’re doing. I think the suspension is about right in terms of severity, maybe trending a – 117680 little toward the harsh side. We need to remember that not every allegation/ accusation is true. No assault has been proven in court, at least in the last six I’m not happy about the suspension. But at the end of the very long day, I’m years. This was not about DV and not even about allegations of DV, but about at least happy he is still our coach. Hopefully we can all move on soon. the reporting (or failure to report) of allegations or suspicion or rumors of DV/ – GNilly97 assault. – Terrier Buck After the Trustees (especially Michael Drake) left Urban Meyer “twisting From The Pages Of BSB 35 Years Ago – 1983 part of, there’s always at least one of that type of injury that during the team’s public practice Aug. 18, a fact he could The Ohio State football team had ended the 1982 season occurs.” attribute to his successful navigation of summer school. with seven straight wins, and head coach Earle Bruce was The Washington Court House (Ohio) Miami Trace product’s hoping that momentum would carry over into the 1983 20 Years Ago – 1998 former coach, Jeff Conroy, told The Columbus Dispatch that campaign. The Buckeyes, whose national championship drought was Williams retook a high school English class and was able to “I surely am looking forward to this year,” Bruce said. “I reaching 30 years back to the 1968 season, were nearly a raise his grade from a D to a B. He achieved freshman eligibility guess the biggest thing is at the end of last year, we had seven consensus preseason pick as the nation’s No. 1 team. in the process. consecutive victories and a very strong, physical-type football Ohio State senior linebacker Jerry Rudzinski said fans Conroy told the paper that the NCAA found Williams’ ACT team. And that should be great going into the 1983 season who had been clamoring for OSU to receive more national score suspicious in the spring, and a subsequent retaking of the because it has left us with a great attitude, a great impetus recognition couldn’t simultaneously be paranoid about the test yielded a score and grade-point average combination that going into the 1983 season.” Buckeyes earning such lofty praise heading into the season.