Sports

Ohio State’s Urban Meyer: ‘I Will Not Coach Again’

STEPPING AWAY

“I believe in Ohio State. I believe in the spirit,” the retiring coach told reporters.

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Andy Lyons/Getty

Ohio State’s head football coach Urban Meyer told reporters Tuesday that he was “certain” he would never coach another football team again after announcing he would be retiring early. “I believe I will not coach again,” Meyer told reporters. “I’ve always been a Buckeye as long as I can remember.” He stressed his love for Ohio State, saying he believed in the school. “I believe in the spirit... I’ve lived in my entire life... I believe in the new head coach,” he said. Meyer, who’s reportedly retiring early due to health concerns, told reporters Monday that he simply couldn’t keep up with his “intense” style of coaching. “I tried to delegate more, and the product started to fail,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I was doing right by our players.”

While Meyer did admit there was a “conversation” before this year about him leaving Ohio State, he told reporters he didn’t think his final season would come so soon. “I probably would have not thought this year, but in the next few,” he said. Over the summer, Meyer became mired in scandal when it was revealed that he knew longtime assistant coach Zach Smith had been arrested on domestic-violence charges—but failed to act on it. His contract with Ohio State reportedly ran until 2022.