Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer Placed On Leave After Alleged Silence On Domestic Abuse

Ohio State University football coach Urban Meyer has been placed on administrative leave amid reports he knew of a 2015 domestic abuse incident involving a former Buckeyes staff member.

College football reporter Brett McMurphy published a piece on his Facebook account Wednesday about former OSU assistant coach Zach Smith and his then-wife, Courtney Smith . The report featured screenshots of text messages between Courtney Smith and several coachs wives indicating Meyers knowledge of the situation.

Hours later, multiple outlets reported Ohio State plans to investigate the allegations while placing Meyer on leave. The university released a statement saying it was focused on supporting players and getting to the truth as expeditiously as possible.

The university is conducting an investigation into these allegations, a statement from Ohio State read. During the inquiry, Urban Meyer will be placed on administrative leave. Ryan Day will serve as acting head football coach during the investigation.

Statement from Ohio State & Urban Meyer placing him on paid administrative leave. pic.twitter.com/KUVjuA7Fuz

Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) August 1, 2018","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Darren Rovell","author_url":"https://twitter.com/darrenrovell","cache_age":86400,"description":"Statement from Ohio State & Urban Meyer placing him on paid administrative leave. pic.twitter.com/KUVjuA7Fuz Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) August 1, 2018\n\n","provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":977,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DjjAnAKXcAAAMKk.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":1242,"title":"Darren Rovell on Twitter","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/1024780693203812352","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"mobile","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://action.news","locale":"en_US"},"originalEdition":"us","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"5b6212a7e4b0fd5c73d5dd96","entryPermalink":"https://action.news/entry/ohio-state-urban-meyer_n_5b6212a7e4b0fd5c73d5dd96","entryTagsList":"domestic-violence,sports-and-recreation,ohio-state,administrative-leave,@health_depression,@health_erectile,@health_ibs,@health_models","sectionSlug":"sports","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"women","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.sports","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065","stickyPlayerControl":"52ea1755-d601-4ad1-bccc-d8cce3f0e5da","stickyPlayerON":"8055e9e5-3bda-4933-8d45-9ad814fb6e22"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":8},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"5b6212a7e4b0fd5c73d5dd96","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"mobile","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":" domestic violence","slug":"domestic-violence","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/domestic-violence","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/domestic-violence","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/domestic-violence"},"relegenceSubjectId":979226,"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Crime","slug":"crime"},"topic":{"title":"Domestic Violence","slug":"domestic-violence","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/domestic-violence"},{"name":"Sports and Recreation","slug":"sports-and-recreation","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/sports-and-recreation","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/sports-and-recreation","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/sports-and-recreation"},"section":{"title":"Sports","slug":"sports"},"topic":{"title":"Sports","slug":"sports","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/topic/sports"},{"name":"ohio state","slug":"ohio-state","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/ohio-state","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/ohio-state","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/ohio-state"},"section":{"title":"Sports","slug":"sports"},"topic":{"title":"Ohio State University","slug":"ohio-state-university","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/topic/ohio-state-university"},{"name":"Administrative leave","slug":"administrative-leave","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/administrative-leave","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/administrative-leave","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/administrative-leave"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/administrative-leave"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false,"enhancements":{}}">

Statement from Ohio State & Urban Meyer placing him on paid administrative leave. pic.twitter.com/KUVjuA7Fuz
Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) August 1, 2018

Meyer told reporters last week at the Big Ten Media Day event in Chicago that he was aware of a 2009 incident involving Zach Smith, but was told that what was reported wasnt what actually happened. The Buckeyes coach also said he didnt know about any similar incidents from 2015 prior to addressing the media.

I got a text late last night that something happened in 2015, and there was nothing, Meyers told reporters. Once again, I dont know who creates a story like that.

Courtney Smith told sports network Stadium in a sit-down interview on Wednesday that she told other wives, including Meyers wife, Shelley Meyer, about the alleged physical abuse in 2015.

I told Shelley, Courtney Smith told Stadium. I sent her some pictures. I spoke to her on the phone ... Shelley said she was going to have to tell Urban. I said, Thats fine. You should tell Urban.

EXCLUSIVE: Longtime Urban Meyer assistant Zach Smith's ex-wife, Courtney Smith, opens up about reported domestic violence and what she believes Meyer knew. pic.twitter.com/dNWA9x2F4y

Stadium (@WatchStadium) August 1, 2018","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Stadium","author_url":"https://twitter.com/WatchStadium","cache_age":86400,"description":"EXCLUSIVE: Longtime Urban Meyer assistant Zach Smith's ex-wife, Courtney Smith, opens up about reported domestic violence and what she believes Meyer knew. pic.twitter.com/dNWA9x2F4y Stadium (@WatchStadium) August 1, 2018\n\n","provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":675,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DjhreoUUUAAq7J8.jpg","thumbnail_width":1200,"title":"Stadium on Twitter","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/WatchStadium/status/1024690700217200640","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"mobile","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://action.news","locale":"en_US"},"originalEdition":"us","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"5b6212a7e4b0fd5c73d5dd96","entryPermalink":"https://action.news/entry/ohio-state-urban-meyer_n_5b6212a7e4b0fd5c73d5dd96","entryTagsList":"domestic-violence,sports-and-recreation,ohio-state,administrative-leave,@health_depression,@health_erectile,@health_ibs,@health_models","sectionSlug":"sports","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"women","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.sports","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065","stickyPlayerControl":"52ea1755-d601-4ad1-bccc-d8cce3f0e5da","stickyPlayerON":"8055e9e5-3bda-4933-8d45-9ad814fb6e22"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":8},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"5b6212a7e4b0fd5c73d5dd96","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"mobile","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":" domestic violence","slug":"domestic-violence","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/domestic-violence","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/domestic-violence","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/domestic-violence"},"relegenceSubjectId":979226,"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Crime","slug":"crime"},"topic":{"title":"Domestic Violence","slug":"domestic-violence","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/domestic-violence"},{"name":"Sports and Recreation","slug":"sports-and-recreation","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/sports-and-recreation","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/sports-and-recreation","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/sports-and-recreation"},"section":{"title":"Sports","slug":"sports"},"topic":{"title":"Sports","slug":"sports","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/topic/sports"},{"name":"ohio state","slug":"ohio-state","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/ohio-state","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/ohio-state","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/ohio-state"},"section":{"title":"Sports","slug":"sports"},"topic":{"title":"Ohio State University","slug":"ohio-state-university","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/topic/ohio-state-university"},{"name":"Administrative leave","slug":"administrative-leave","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/administrative-leave","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/administrative-leave","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/administrative-leave"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/administrative-leave"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false,"enhancements":{}}">

EXCLUSIVE: Longtime Urban Meyer assistant Zach Smith's ex-wife, Courtney Smith, opens up about reported domestic violence and what she believes Meyer knew. pic.twitter.com/dNWA9x2F4y
Stadium (@WatchStadium) August 1, 2018

Your Support Has Never Been More Critical

Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone.

Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you.

Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.

You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you.

Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all.

Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all.

Support HuffPost

This article has been updated with a statement from Ohio State University.

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline .

Your Support Has Never Been More Critical

Related