Ohio State Domestic Violence Saga

[Huskinator]

Urban an is fine either way, he's currently making 143k a week to sit on his hind quarters and find ways to get out of this.  If it comes to be proven he knew and let it go he will be named in a lawsuit and still have more money than most of us.

He will be fine, many of his assistance that could be tied into this, won’t.   It’s a crappy situation and Zach smith hurt a lot more lives than just his own here. Just a terrible situation. 

 

[brophog]

There's nothing else going on in the world of sports. There won't be until college football starts. This isn't going away.

There's always another story out there. For a story to continue for weeks, or even months, it has to be fueled by new information or our 24/7 news cycle moves on to the next story. The dead period accelerated the initial fervor, but that's definitely died down, even on Buckeye related sites where the interest is highest. If it's going to spark up again then something needs to happen and there's only so much information one can generate when the chief interested party is neither the victim nor perpetrator.

 

[Hans Gruber]

There's always another story out there. For a story to continue for weeks, or even months, it has to be fueled by new information or our 24/7 news cycle moves on to the next story. The dead period accelerated the initial fervor, but that's definitely died down, even on Buckeye related sites where the interest is highest. If it's going to spark up again then something needs to happen and there's only so much information one can generate when the chief interested party is neither the victim nor perpetrator.

I understand where you're coming from and the point you're trying to make. There will be other stories. Almost certainly though, none will be bigger than this.

This is why the story will have legs. Zach Smith and Urban Meyer attempted to shift the blame to AD Gene Smith. The AD will now have to respond in some way now. Regardless of how Gene Smith responds, the Ohio State president/chancellor/dean or whoever will also probably have to respond. They won't all respond the same way. They are going to attempt to save their own skin first.

And I'm sure Brett McMurphy has plenty more texts and photos when people try to lie about another aspect of the story.

This isn't as bad as Penn State or Baylor scandals, but it's in the same zip code. A lot of people are going to be fired or resign. 

 

[HuskerNBigD]

I understand where you're coming from and the point you're trying to make. There will be other stories. Almost certainly though, none will be bigger than this.

This is why the story will have legs. Zach Smith and Urban Meyer attempted to shift the blame to AD Gene Smith. The AD will now have to respond in some way now. Regardless of how Gene Smith responds, the Ohio State president/chancellor/dean or whoever will also probably have to respond. They won't all respond the same way. They are going to attempt to save their own skin first.

And I'm sure Brett McMurphy has plenty more texts and photos when people try to lie about another aspect of the story.

This isn't as bad as Penn State or Baylor scandals, but it's in the same zip code. A lot of people are going to be fired or resign. 

Gene Smith will be the fall guy. He’s the only one that’s going to be fired. 

 

[Hans Gruber]

Gene Smith will be the fall guy. He’s the only one that’s going to be fired. 

So you're trying to tell me that both Urban Meyer and Gene Smith knew/suspected that Zach Smith was beating his wife, but only Gene Smith will be fired?

I think that's highly unlikely. Ohio State knows it can find another good coach. It's easier for the, to just make this whole situation go away.

 

[HuskerNBigD]

So you're trying to tell me that both Urban Meyer and Gene Smith knew/suspected that Zach Smith was beating his wife, but only Gene Smith will be fired?

I think that's highly unlikely. Ohio State knows it can find another good coach. It's easier for the, to just make this whole situation go away.

That’s exactly what I’m saying. None of the trustees want to get rid of Meyer. 

 

[Hans Gruber]

That’s exactly what I’m saying. None of the trustees want to get rid of Meyer. 

We'll have to agree to disagree.

I don't think they necessarily WANT to get rid of him. I think they realize they have to. We'll see what Gene Smith does. 

When you look at all the information and combine it with all that Ohio State is dealing with outside of football, like the wrestling scandal and the title IX office all getting fired recently, I don't think the juice is worth the squeeze anymore with Meyer.

 

[HuskerNBigD]

We'll have to agree to disagree.

I don't think they necessarily WANT to get rid of him. I think they realize they have to. We'll see what Gene Smith does. 

When you look at all the information and combine it with all that Ohio State is dealing with outside of football, like the wrestling scandal and the title IX office all getting fired recently, I don't think the juice is worth the squeeze anymore with Meyer.

See, that last paragraph is another reason why I think it’ll be easier to just fire smith. They’ll say he lost control and they’ll need new leadership. 

 

[Hans Gruber]

See, that last paragraph is another reason why I think it’ll be easier to just fire smith. They’ll say he lost control and they’ll need new leadership. 

I think that would be a viable option if there was proof or very strong evidence that Urban Meyer didn't know anything. Meyer admitted in his statement that he reported it in 2015, so he at minimum knew it was possible that Zach Smith was abusing his wife. Then he kept him on staff for another three years.

Like I said earlier, that's the best-case scenario. Combine that with the 2009 incident and I still think that is a fireable offense. And of course it could be much worse than that depending on what Gene Smith or other Ohio State officials say in the next week or so.

 

[Mierin]

I think they should fire Meyer if they don't have evidence he reported this.

That said, I want Nebraska to beat Ohio State when they're at their best, and that's almost assuredly with Meyer.

 

[The Murphinator]

We should know within the next 2 weeks.

 

[Enhance]

We shouldn't confuse a lack of major updates over the weekend as a sign of disinterest. It was still the dominating topic on sports radio over the weekend and a regular discussion on TV sports talk shows, as well as in other national news outlets. It was the weekend, after all.

I did hear one interesting point on Sunday about all of this and it was presented by a Florida lawmaker. Ohio State is, of course, a state school. In plenty of cases, funding they receive through research grants and state dollars dwarfs what football brings in and this is something that will likely have to be weighed/discussed in the coming days. Or, in other words, is Meyer's success on the football field worth a) all the backlash if they keep him and b) is there a chance they risk funding by keeping him?

 

[Mavric]

Seems like the prevailing opinion in the media is that Meyer is gone but it's just haggling over if tOSU can fire him "with cause" or if they're going to owe him his full buyout.

 

[VectorVictor]

Seems like the prevailing opinion in the media is that Meyer is gone but it's just haggling over if tOSU can fire him "with cause" or if they're going to owe him his full buyout.

Yup, just playing the Waiting Game right now. 

 

[Landlord]

Them announcing a timeline of when the investigation is over makes me believe they've already decided one way or the other, and my hunch is he survives this.