Is this the beginning of the end of the Urban Meyer era in Columbus?
Earlier today, a damning report surfaced in which it’s alleged that Meyer knew of domestic abuse allegations levied against his now-former wide receivers coach Zach Smith in 2015 despite Meyer’s vehement denials late last month. Given the fact that the wildly-successful OSU head coach continued to employ an assistant who he seemingly knew was, at bare minimum, accused of being a serial spousal abuser, and then appeared to cover up that knowledge by bending the truth to the point of breaking it, there has been a growing chorus wondering whether Meyer will be able to survive and hold on to his job.
The silence on the part of Meyer and the football program and the university since the story broke has only added to the chatter.
While there have not been any statements released by those involved, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing going on behind the scenes as Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports writes that “Urban and athletic director Gene Smith were meeting as of early Wednesday afternoon.” What’s unclear is whether that meeting involves exactly how to spin this disturbing situation and control the damage already created or, as some have suggested, determining whether or not Meyer will continue on as the Buckeyes’ head coach.
University officials have continued to decline comment on the day’s developments, or even if the school will be addressing the situation in a statement or statements today.
Meyer has spent the past six seasons in his “dream job,” compiling a 73-8 record overall and a 47-3 mark in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes have won two conference titles and one national championship under the Ohio native.
In April of this year, Ohio State announced that a Board of Trustees committee had approved a two-year contract extension for their head football coach that would push his 2018 salary to $7.6 million, making him the second-highest paid coach in college football. The 54-year-old Meyer is now signed through the 2022 season.