Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer Put on Leave as School Opens Investigation

Urban Meyer, the head coach of Ohio State University’s football team, was put on paid leave as the school investigates accusations that he knew about domestic-abuse allegations against his longtime assistant, Zach Smith, since 2015. “During the inquiry, Urban Meyer will be on paid administrative leave. Ryan Day will serve as acting head football coach during the investigation,” the university wrote in a statement. Meyer, in his own statement, said he was leaving so the football team could “conduct training camp with minimal distraction,” adding that he “eagerly looks forward to the resolution of this matter.” Meyer has said that he had no knowledge of abuse allegations against Smith, who was fired last week and served a domestic-violence civil protection order from his ex-wife, Courtney Smith. Meyer later conceded that he knew about a 2009 accusation involving Smith and his then-pregnant wife. This comes after college football reporter Brett McMurphy obtained screenshots of text conversations between Courtney Smith and spouses of other Ohio State coaches. Urban’s wife, Shelly, told the others that she would notify her husband of the incident and was reportedly supportive of Courtney Smith over the years.