Urban Follow-Up – From the
Mailbag, Texts and Tweets
I have to admit, Wednesday
was a day of a lot of mixed feelings for this fan. I’m not saying I was happy about what has
happened to Courtney Smith, but I am saying I was glad she had the guts
to come out and say what went down and expose Urban and Shelly Meyer for what
they are. Hypocrites who lied for the
“Greater Good”. But again, not
happy that she had to suffer from the abuse she suffered from for years…These
are the polarizing thoughts this fan is having at this point. Thoughts like, “I’d rather beat the best than
see him go down like this.” And thoughts
of, “If this were my guy, how would I be feeling about it?” I mean, I think that Urban believed he was
somehow doing the right thing. And yet,
in hind sight, the court of public opinion is going to more or less crucify him
for doing the wrong thing…
Anyway, on with the fallout…and
there was a lot. I’m paraphrasing what a
lot of you have sent me over the last 24 hours.
Before Thursday (received
Wednesday afternoon – evening):
Dude – You of course have to know there’s absolutely NO WAY Urban gets
canned because of this, right? He’s
winning now, won a national title for OSU and OSU won’t go through the headache
of canning another coach for a measly cover up.
Totally Agree! I thought that at first, also. But, the more I think about
it, the more I think Urban’s in for a very rocky ride and in really deep
doo-doo….
First, a little history lesson and some
scenarios:
1.
The suckeyes weren’t going to fire Tressel, either, if
you recall. From the AD or president
stating, “I hope he doesn’t fire me!” all the way down the line, the suckeye
powermongers wanted to keep the SweaterVest at whatever political cost. The problem became unmanageable when the NCAA
got involved and issued the “show cause” regarding being able to keep
the Vest employed. After that, it was
academic. The Vest had to go…because
the NCAA more or less said he had to go.
2.
Which is why I said the Title IX investigation that
should have begun in 2009 or in 2015 COULD be what eventually screws the
suckeyes and Meyer. IF they open that up
NOW and everyone has to start telling truths about who knew what when with
phone texts, etc, and if they follow the same roadmap as Baylor, well, it’s
going to get tricky for the administration to keep Meyer, knowing that
he knew he had a domestic abuser on his staff. Which, he did, knowingly, from 2009. That’s a real problem. This is kind of similar to Paterno,
who knew about Sandusky, reported it, but ended up doing nothing himself when
he had the chance to do something.
Paterno had the power, but looked the other way. Just like Meyer. Again, that kind of goes back to the Turpitude
Clause in Meyer’s contract. Will
the suckeye brass have the balls to do the right thing?
a.
The Wednesday development that Courtney (in the video) is
claiming she didn’t know whether or not Shelly told Urban anything in 2015
looks and smells a lot like a conspiracy. Courtney, perhaps, just wanted to bring down
Zach and not hurt Urban. So she claims
she had no idea whether or not Shelly told Urban. Shelly can say she never mentioned it to him, but
really? When those two are supposed to
share everything? Doesn’t pass the sniff
test, Shelly. I mean,
fergodsakes, my wife tells me everything whether I want to hear it or not!
3.
Or, it could go the way of all the LNU cases of the basketball team
and football team members that were charged with rape and Title IX
investigations ensued. The players were
found to be at fault, but the coaches escaped because, “Hey, I reported
everything I was supposed to when I was supposed to and then it was out of my
hands!” In fact, I would venture that
the stuff Dantannino and Izzo have gotten away with is far worse than what Meyer
is facing. Based on the fact it
was players
they recruited and students that were the victims…
4.
The suckeyes and Meyer do and say nothing based on the fact that Meyer
“conveniently” stated that the first time he heard “anything” about the 2015
incident was a week before the media days (again see 2a. above). That established his innocence and knowledge
of the incident. I’m actually beginning
to wonder if McMurphy went to the suckeyes first (probably as a courtesy) before
posting his investigation results to give them an opportunity to come clean,
which, if you start connecting the dots and see that it was a weird statement
for Meyer to make, it starts to make sense. (Seeing as how the school has been silent on
the issue this long (late Wednesday afternoon) is telling in and of
itself. They believe that Urban was
telling the truth, didn’t know, and that’s it.)
But if Meyer answers any other
questions on it, he’ll only be opening himself up to additional headaches…So,
the suckeyes sit back and wait for the news cycle to exhaust itself and just
move forward, ignoring the fact that there was a domestic abuser on the staff
for the better part of 9 years.
5.
If Meyer isn’t as healthy as we think he is or starts getting pissed off
about having to address this at every presser after every game, he might just
decide he’s had enough and throw in the towel again. This scenario is as real as the others in my
mind and I believe has a 25% of playing out. That’s what happened at Florida, also, when
he walked away.
Did you know that Zach Smith was a grandson of Earl Bruce? Could that be a big part of the reason Meyer
kept him around as long as he did?
Nope and yes, absolutely. Not until I read it in the McMurphy report
did I know that Smith was Earl Bruce’s grandson. And yes, Meyer often talks about his love and
respect for Bruce and I believe that’s why Urban went to “Great Lengths” to
keep Smith employed. Quite
possibly setting up his own downfall…
Why do you keep referring to McMurphy “from ESPN”? You know he got canned, right?
Yep – but that’s where everyone knows
him from. I found it quite ironic that
ESPN didn’t even have a “trending” item until about 3 hours after the first
report came out at 11:00 AM. McMurphy is,
in my mind, a valued reporter that does a great job. But his politics are different from what ESPN
is becoming: An incredibly liberal platform
that only wants to spin the narrative one way. McMurphy doesn’t fit the profile, even though
he is great at his job…
So, moving forward, I’ll just
refer to him as McMurphy.
What do you think will happen to Meyer when the liberals at OSU come
back? Think they’ll protest under the
#metoo banner and boycott the games? How
will the university respond to them?
Hard to say. Assuming Meyer somehow still has a job, Ohio
is a pretty conservative state and they don’t suffer (as much) of the liberal
leaning left crap that a school like Michigan has to put up with. Still, there’s gotta’ be some activism and
depending on where we’re at on this issue for the home opener, there could be
fall out. It’ll be interesting to watch
how it all plays out, regardless. If
the suckeyes don’t take any action, I’m guessing you’ll see some fireworks for
the first game. From someone…Heck, they
might even get #metoo groups to bus into Columbus from different
locations to protest. I could see
happening, pussyhats and all.
What About AD Smith In All Of This?
REALLY good question. If in fact Shelly knew and didn’t say
anything to anyone and none of the other coaches wives said anything, I guess
Smith is off the hook. But
again, for as connected as this administration is to the police regarding
student athletes and their activities, I find it hard to believe that Smith DIDN’T
KNOW ANYTHING. And he should be held
accountable if he didn’t launch a Title IX investigation at that point in 2015.
Dan Wetzel Nails It – If Urban
Knew and Did Nothing, He Should Be Canned
I always seem to agree with Dan
and he calls it, rightly so, that Urban should be canned for keeping a
domestic abuser on his staff (see scenario 2 above).
As usual, Dan puts it together as
well as I could, so I’ll just cut and paste:
If Shelley Meyer didn’t tell Urban though, then
the question is why? How could a woman claim Zach Smith “scares her” and offer
sympathy for his alleged abuse victim but then not care enough to mention it to
Urban Meyer, thus continuing to allow Zach Smith to coach and mentor Buckeyes
football players?
It’s why the concept of Shelley saying nothing to
Urban is, while possible, so improbable.
Shelley Meyer is a strong woman. She is also a registered nurse and an
instructor at Ohio State’s College of Nursing and thus is bound by Title IX statutes to report abuse. Urban Meyer, as
a coach, is also mandated to report it.
If Urban Meyer knew anything at all about the 2015
incident, then he wasn’t just employing and covering up for an alleged violent
abuser. Even last week he was still lying
about it.
Where this MAY BE a little gray, if
you’re a diehard suckeye fan still holding on to the slim hope of Meyer still
being around for the opener, is that the abuse was a coach abusing his wife and
not a student athlete. Shelly’s bound to
report abuse, but is it only abuse involving student athletes? Or does that stretch to anyone being abused by
suckeye staff, players or students?
Where’s the line? When does “Big Brother” stop being Big
Brother? Shelly could be as liable here
as Urban…Maybe more so. But,
hey, she’s probably only pulling down 6 figures where Urban is pulling down
$7.6M annually. Yep, she’ll lie for that
kind of dough….
But that little nuance, that Courtney
wasn’t a student and wasn’t in any way “attached” to the suckeyes institution,
other than through marriage to Zach, may be what the suckeyes are hiding
behind. I’d be interested in hearing what
a Title IX expert has to say about that.
Anyway, Dan wraps it up like this:
Urban Meyer, Shelley Meyer and Ohio State have yet
to comment on the new allegations. Urban and athletic director Gene Smith were
meeting as of early Wednesday afternoon.
The explanation better be substantial and
exceedingly believable. Even then, it might not be enough.
The days of taking Urban Meyer’s word for much of
anything are long past.
Thursday, After
Meyer Is Put On Administrative Leave
Administrative
leave is a
temporary leave from a job
assignment, with pay and benefits intact. ... An employee may be placed on administrative leave when an
allegation of misconduct is made against an employee, either by a co-worker,
student, parent, or an alleged victim.
So, now that we know the definition,
administrative leave in a professional work place usually means that you may
have been connected to a wrong-doing in the office and while you didn’t “directly”
participate in the wrong-doing, the language in the employee manual or your
contract more or less incriminates you in the wrong-doing for either not acting
or supporting the individual that may have committed the wrong-doing.
After 24 hours and putting myself in Meyer’s
shoes, I still can’t figure out why he lied about the situation. He could have been transparent at the B1G
Media Day, stating he knew of all the incidents but he was trying to help Smith
and Smith had never been formally charged by the police. And then when the incidents came to light, he
had no choice but to let Smith go. Honestly.
I think he believed he was doing the right thing. But that’s the problem. There was a right thing to do and Meyer didn’t
do it. He made a bad
decision and it’s likely going to cost him everything.
As of Thursday at Noon, here’s what we know:
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/7/23/17602674/ohio-state-zach-smith-fired-urban-meyer
Does Meyer have any chance at all of surviving
this? Here’s a link to a great article laying out what the suckeyes would have
to defend in order to keep Meyer on board. (Conclusion:
NOT GONNA HAPPEN).
The most damning items: Meyer’s knowledge of the Florida situation
and the fact that he was also trying to get Smith another job in July. Not to mention his appearance at the B1G
Media days claiming to have “no knowledge” of the incident in 2015 and
also claiming that McMurphy “made the story up.”
The
Timeline: Based on this and all
the “reports”
that were flying around regarding Courtney and Coach Smith, and based on the
fact that Meyer receives any and all police reports involving his players, are we
supposed to believe that he had no clue as to what was transpiring with his
receiver’s coach? Again, sniff
test fail…
The Inferred Conclusion that Meyer Had To Know: This article sums it up pretty well. From the text exchange between Courtney and
Lindsey Voltolini (another wife of an assistant) to the exchange between
Courtney and Shelly. Meyer
simply HAD TO KNOW about the 2015 incident, despite the fact that no charges
were filed nor was an arrest made.
So, when does a domestic dispute warrant a job
dismissal? That becomes the
question. And if the police didn’t
arrest or charge Smith, is he still at fault when it comes to his
coaching position on the team? That’s
the question. If I ran to the CEO –
President every time I had a co-worker or subordinate come in and tell me about
an issue with their spouse…well, how would that look? Granted, there were photos and those are
hard to stomach. But the police didn’t
do anything. Why? Is she a woman scorned? Did she inflict all that on herself? Is this going to become a “he said, she said”
deal?
Screwy situation, for sure. And it’s not a situation where anyone will
ever have all the facts.
The Contract Title IX Wording: This is what will eventually bring Meyer
down, even if he claims he didn’t know anything about the 2015 incident. If he knew, he lied and did nothing. If he truly DIDN’T KNOW, he should have and
he’s displaying his complete incompetence.
Damned if he did and damned if he didn’t….
Meyer’s extension has a Title IX clause that
requires him to report violations of Ohio State’s sexual misconduct
policy.
“Coach shall promptly report to Ohio State’s Title IX
Athletics any known violations of Ohio State’s Sexual Misconduct Policy
(including, but not limited to, sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual
exploitation, intimate violence and stalking) that involve any student, faculty
or staff or that is in connection with a university sponsored activity or
event. … For purposes of this Section 4.1 (e), a “known violation” shall mean a
violation or allegation of a violation of Title IX that Coach is aware of or
has reasonable cause is taking place or may have taken place.”
Ohio State placed Meyer on administrative
leave Wednesday to investigate what he did and didn’t know
about allegations that former assistant coach Zach Smith repeatedly abused his
wife over the course of six years.
And the part where they could get him for
hiring Smith with the knowledge from 2009:
Another provision in the contract opens a different avenue for OSU to potentially find cause to fire Meyer, who admitted last week that he was aware of 2009 allegations against Smith from both of their days at Florida before he hired him at Ohio State.
“It is recognized that
this subsection” pertaining to grounds under which Meyer can be terminated for
cause “encompasses findings or determinations of violations during employment
of Coach at Ohio State or any other institution of higher learning.”
I’m not a lawyer, but this looks like Meyer is
more or less up shit creek without a paddle.
It’ll probably be easier to just walk away from Meyer at this point.
Way Too Early Speculation
About New Head Coach
I guess one of the perks is that the
suckeyes can more or less have their pick of any of the major D1 coaches that
are currently out there. The only problem
being that the suckeyes have been SO SUCCESFUL under Meyer that whoever
replaces him is going to have his hands full with lofty expectations and goals. A short list of NON-candidates and possible candidates:
Non
candidates:
Wilson, who is on the suckeye coaching staff,
was not named interim due to the baggage he brought with him when he was canned
from Indiana. Schiano was also unjustly
outed as having some sort of knowledge (from 20 years ago) regarding the
Sandusky incident at PSU. I
have a feeling that either one of these coaches would have been a good fit in
Columbus, but neither will get another chance.
Ash – Rutgers.
While only with the suckeyes for 2 seasons, one of them was 2015 when “all
the coaches wives knew” about the abuse. That reason alone will probably disqualify
him from consideration.
Anyone else with ties to the program or Meyer
will be summarily rejected from consideration.
Candidates:
Interim Coach Day: Has only been on staff since 2017 and has a
pretty good resume with respect to both collegiate experience and NFL
experience. A good season, ala Fisher at
Michigan during the 6 game NCAA run and Day could find himself as the new head
coach…
Hermann – Has probably figured out that his
Alma-Mater Texas Shit-Show is more than any coach can handle and would jump at
the opportunity to return to Columbus. However, the Administration may be a little
leery of the Meyer connection and whether or not HIS wife or Hermann himself
knew anything and didn’t report it…But Hermann was only in Columbus from
2011-2014, so may not be an issue.
Durkin – currently at Maryland. I’ve always believed that some program would
jump at the chance to grab Durkin when the time came. He’s a good coach and already hase experience
in the B1G East division. This would be
the B1G cannibalizing it’s own, but this is the suckeyes. Don’t be surprised…
ETC
Good News Maybe? The
Domers Are In Dis-Array At the Running Back Position!
I guess you can call this good news when a domers insider calls
out the beleaguered running back group.
Sounds like they have a mess but are trying to find a way to get the
position taken care of. But that might
not all be ironed out by the first game (YEAH!)
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