Ohio State Domestic Violence Saga

[Enhance]

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I don't recall if Smith was ever charged/convicted for any of his domestic violence instances.  If he wasn't ever charged, those things wouldn't show up on a background check.

Gotcha.  Yup, nothing would show up on a background check then.

The only thing I'm aware of (and it wouldn't have shown up on a background check, because it just happened) is Courtney filed a five-year domestic violence protection order against Zach late last month and the judge granted it. It makes it illegal for him to come within 500 feet of her for the next five years.

I don't know the process and burden of proof necessary for getting one of those, however, I think it's a fairly damning piece to the puzzle because I imagine they don't just hand them out on a whim.

 

[Creed]

OSU fan here and the story is upsetting based on the info published so far.  Assuming UM knew the extent of the situation, how can he be so stupid to not to report it to the proper people at OSU and protect a position coach.  I am not coming to conclusion until I know all the information.  Specifically,

1.  What did UM know about the abuse?  His sources seem to be Shelly and Zack Smith.  Apparently UM asked Zack which Zack denied.  Did Shelly simply tell him "Zack and wife are having issues again?"  Does he have an obligation to get involved in an employee's personal matters if he was not aware of physical abuse?  If Shelly told him about the abuse, showed him photos and UM didn't report, then he should be terminated.

2.  Was Zack actually arrested in 2015?  If UM looked into this and found no arrest, what else did he do or would be reasonable required to do?

3.  If UM directly or indirectly via his assistant encouraged Courtney Smith not to press charges in 2009, he should be terminated.  I'd like to know his involvement in that.

I have a feeling UM and OSU do not want to disclosure all the sordid details and are working on separation agreement.

 

[nic]

I just want to see them poach Harbaugh from Michigan and watch the world burn

That would be a step down for Harbaugh.

 

[huKSer]

OSU fan here and the story is upsetting based on the info published so far.  Assuming UM knew the extent of the situation, how can he be so stupid to not to report it to the proper people at OSU and protect a position coach.  I am not coming to conclusion until I know all the information.  Specifically,

At first I was "How could Michigan know about ..... oh, Urban Meyer"

 

[Enhance]

OSU fan here and the story is upsetting based on the info published so far.  Assuming UM knew the extent of the situation, how can he be so stupid to not to report it to the proper people at OSU and protect a position coach.  I am not coming to conclusion until I know all the information.  Specifically,

1.  What did UM know about the abuse?  His sources seem to be Shelly and Zack Smith.  Apparently UM asked Zack which Zack denied.  Did Shelly simply tell him "Zack and wife are having issues again?"  Does he have an obligation to get involved in an employee's personal matters if he was not aware of physical abuse?  If Shelly told him about the abuse, showed him photos and UM didn't report, then he should be terminated.

2.  Was Zack actually arrested in 2015?  If UM looked into this and found no arrest, what else did he do or would be reasonable required to do?

3.  If UM directly or indirectly via his assistant encouraged Courtney Smith not to press charges in 2009, he should be terminated.  I'd like to know his involvement in that.

I have a feeling UM and OSU do not want to disclosure all the sordid details and are working on separation agreement.

Fairly well-reasoned and I agree with a lot of it. +1

In reference to the bolded, it seems near impossible someone like UM didn't know the extent of the issues. It would have required significant cover up by some combination of his wife, his staff and their wives, and/or, to a degree, pure bone-idleness on his behalf. I have a hard time believing he had no idea the reasons behind the Smith's divorce, particularly with how close the coaching culture is.

 

[sho]

OSU fan here and the story is upsetting based on the info published so far.  Assuming UM knew the extent of the situation, how can he be so stupid to not to report it to the proper people at OSU and protect a position coach.  I am not coming to conclusion until I know all the information.  Specifically,

1.  What did UM know about the abuse?  His sources seem to be Shelly and Zack Smith.  Apparently UM asked Zack which Zack denied.  Did Shelly simply tell him "Zack and wife are having issues again?"  Does he have an obligation to get involved in an employee's personal matters if he was not aware of physical abuse?  If Shelly told him about the abuse, showed him photos and UM didn't report, then he should be terminated.

2.  Was Zack actually arrested in 2015?  If UM looked into this and found no arrest, what else did he do or would be reasonable required to do?

3.  If UM directly or indirectly via his assistant encouraged Courtney Smith not to press charges in 2009, he should be terminated.  I'd like to know his involvement in that.

I have a feeling UM and OSU do not want to disclosure all the sordid details and are working on separation agreement.

The one down side to this, it's clear Shelley knew from the text messages.  She's also a registered nurse and an instructor in the nursing program at OSU.  She is also a mandatory reporter for these types of incidents.   She did not, either to protect a wife beater or to protect her husband and his job.  My guess is to protect Urb and the football program.  Reading the tea leaves Urb knew and is gone.  I think he should be fired with cause and get nothing, but I feel you are correct and they are working on a buyout.  Either way, Urban should get a show clause on him like Tressel did

 

[knapplc]

If you keep Urban Meyer and explain that he had plausible deniability - basically, Shelley Meyer falling on the sword saying she told Urban nothing about the abuse she clearly knew about - the message you're sending future coaches is to wrap yourselves in enough of a bubble that you have the ability to deny knowledge of wrongdoing.

That is exactly the wrong message to send. I don't think it's a message Ohio State wants to send, no matter how successful Meyer is. Every interview for the next year is going to have a question about this. Bad PR over and over and over.

I genuinely think OSU's hands are tied. They have to let him go. 

As with Penn State, Michigan State and now Ohio State, I just feel bad for the fans of these programs who just want their coaches to do their damned jobs and keep their noses clean. These are respectable people, just like Nebraska Fans, who want nothing to do with defending their institution over stuff like this.

I just hope we're lucky enough that this never happens to Nebraska.  Like those fans, we don't deserve it.

 

[Mavric]

[No message]

 

[schriznoeder]

Ummm...

 

[DrunkOffPunch]

1.  What did UM know about the abuse?  His sources seem to be Shelly and Zack Smith.  Apparently UM asked Zack which Zack denied.  Did Shelly simply tell him "Zack and wife are having issues again?"  Does he have an obligation to get involved in an employee's personal matters if he was not aware of physical abuse?  If Shelly told him about the abuse, showed him photos and UM didn't report, then he should be terminated.

Live video of Urban when his wife told him about Zach Smith’s domestic abuse. 

View attachment 13395

 

[Creed]

Fairly well-reasoned and I agree with a lot of it. +1

In reference to the bolded, it seems near impossible someone like UM didn't know the extent of the issues. It would have required significant cover up by some combination of his wife, his staff and their wives, and/or, to a degree, pure bone-idleness on his behalf. I have a hard time believing he had no idea the reasons behind the Smith's divorce, particularly with how close the coaching culture is.

I don't know.  I am sure Urban is an extremely busy man dealing with 80+ players, lots of coaches, AD & university folks, on the road recruiting, PR appearances, etc.  Does he need to be involved all these people's personal matters especially if it's a recurring marital discord matter?  Maybe Shelly and other's didn't want to bother him with this matter again.  They downplayed or misinterpreted the serious nature of the matter.

 

[Cdog923]

I'm assuming that Meyer, being the scumbag he seems to be, will try and get his wife to take the fall for this. 

 

[Creed]

I'm assuming that Meyer, being the scumbag he seems to be, will try and get his wife to take the fall for this. 

Possibly, unless there is text or other evidence showing Urban's knowledge of the abuse.  Shelly can always say I never told Urban or gave him a sanitized version.

Of course, that scheme (ie Shelly covering for Urban) would take collusion between the two and I assume lying to OSU officials in their investigation. 

 

[sho]

Starting to see a way for OSU to retain Meyer.  I'm no lawyer, so not sure how true this is, but the scenario is this:

*  Title IX protects students and employees of the school

*  Title IX covers discrimination and sexual assault/abuse

The wife is not a student nor an employee, does she qualify to be covered under Title IX.   This is domestic abuse, not sexual abuse or assault, does domestic abuse fall under what Title IX protects?    If the answer is no to those questions, then Meyer didn't have to report anything, and all he did was lie to the press, something coaches do all the time.  While it still makes him scum, and I still feel he should be fired, if you answer no, he didn't violate his contract and therefore shouldn't be fired.

 

[teachercd]

OSU fan here and the story is upsetting based on the info published so far.  Assuming UM knew the extent of the situation, how can he be so stupid to not to report it to the proper people at OSU and protect a position coach.  I am not coming to conclusion until I know all the information.  Specifically,

1.  What did UM know about the abuse?  His sources seem to be Shelly and Zack Smith.  Apparently UM asked Zack which Zack denied.  Did Shelly simply tell him "Zack and wife are having issues again?"  Does he have an obligation to get involved in an employee's personal matters if he was not aware of physical abuse?  If Shelly told him about the abuse, showed him photos and UM didn't report, then he should be terminated.

2.  Was Zack actually arrested in 2015?  If UM looked into this and found no arrest, what else did he do or would be reasonable required to do?

3.  If UM directly or indirectly via his assistant encouraged Courtney Smith not to press charges in 2009, he should be terminated.  I'd like to know his involvement in that.

I have a feeling UM and OSU do not want to disclosure all the sordid details and are working on separation agreement.

This is awesome!  I am totally positive that Shelly did this...

She sees these pictures of her friend...pictures that show she was beat to s#!t...and later that night in bed while reading a Home and Garden she looks over at Urban and says "Oh Urban, I forgot to tell you, the Smiths are having issues again"...

"Issues" is finding some porn on the husbands computer...Not getting the s#!t kicked out of you.

I show my friends pretty much any pictures that is texted to me...So I am for sure showing my hubby/wife pictures of a family friend that has been beat to s#!t.