Urban Meyer Issues Statement That Doesn't Clarify Much
Urban Meyer has broken his silence on his paid administrative leave from Ohio State. Issuing a statement via tweet, Meyer may not have actually helped himself.
Meyer claims he followed proper procedures regarding the Zach Smith domestic assault issue. But if he did so, that means he knowingly kept an abuser on his staff for almost three years. If what he says is true regarding running the issue up the chain, he’s likely trying to shift blame from himself to some of the higher-ups at Ohio State. In essence, he’s trying to take others down.
This is truly a puzzling statement that doesn’t exactly clarify things. Ohio State has taken the stance that it didn’t know about Smith’s history, and Meyer claimed at Big Ten Media Days that he didn’t know either. Now he’s shifted and claims he and the university knew but did nothing. I’m not sure that makes his situation any better.
Meyer’s only usable defense in this situation was that he had no idea he was employing an abuser. Now that’s gone. Knowing and continuing to employ Smith is just as bad as knowing and not telling Ohio State.