Urban Meyer Put On Administrative Leave

Nator

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On another note, the Urban Meyer moral compass keeps spinning.
Funny, nothing at all on ESPN.com about this yet. Hmm.

https://sports.yahoo.com/urban-meyer-knew-osu-coachs-alleged-domestic-violence-nothing-deserves-fired-174323593.html

“I was never told about anything, anything never came to light, never had a conversation about it, so I know nothing about that,” Meyer said last week.

He went as far as to cast doubt on McMurphy’s reporting.

Well, on Wednesday, McMurphy was back with text messages between Courtney Smith and Shelley Meyer, Urban’s wife and closest confidant.

It is clear that at least Shelley Meyer knew about the 2015 allegation, which included horrific photos of a bloodied and bruised Courtney Smith. It is also clear that Shelley Meyer took the incident serious enough that on at least on occasion she reached out to Courtney Smith to inquire how she was and offer additional support. Shelley Meyer also confirmed she saw the pictures.

“I am with you!” Shelley Meyer texted. “A lot of women stay hoping it will get better. I don’t blame you! But just want u to be safe. Do you have a restraining order? He scares me.”

“Restraining orders don’t do anything in Ohio,” Courtney Smith texted back. “I tried to get protection order which is what started this whole investigation. And that should go through soon finally. It’s hard [because] you have to prove immediate danger. Legal system is tough. Basically, you have to prove he will kill u to get protective order.”

“Geesh! Even [with] the pics?” Shelley Meyer texted. “Didn’t law enforcement come to your place ever??”
My guess is a "suspension" until Big 10 conference play begins this season.
 

PaulinMyrBch

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Funny, nothing at all on ESPN.com about this yet. Hmm.

https://sports.yahoo.com/urban-meyer-knew-osu-coachs-alleged-domestic-violence-nothing-deserves-fired-174323593.html



My guess is a "suspension" until Big 10 conference play begins this season.
Apparently McMurphy was fired by ESPN but they are still paying him through August, but he's not allowed on any of their platforms. So he broke the story on Facebook and ESPN is late to put anything up. They finally posted a story, but there is no writer credit at the top. Its simply says ESPN, but at the end it says "ESPN's Adam Rittenberg and Dan Murphy contributed to this report."
 

MuzzyField

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Any chance the wife throws herself under the bus and claims that she never explicitly told Urb about it?
She tolerated Urban’s coed behavior at UF, so probably, but hopefully it’s not enough to save him. Smith started knocking his wife around while at UF. I guess he doesn’t just recruit and protect shitbags, he hires them to be on his staff too.
 

dhappy42

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We need a general rule saying any man who assaults a woman can’t have a job. And any boss who doesn’t fire a man who assaults a woman should be fired and not have a job ever either. Edit: except for presidents, obviously.
 

JimD

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Any chance the wife throws herself under the bus and claims that she never explicitly told Urb about it?
From Wetzel's piece:

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.
 

Average Reds

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Yeah, he’s fucked. Given what was published today, I don’t see how Meyer can return as head coach.

Except for the fact that, of course he’s going to return ...
 

swiftaw

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But both are mandatory reporters based on their roles, so if they knew they should be fired
 

Needlenose's Pole

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The press release is already drafted

"We are committed to upholding the highest ethical standards, and strive to go above and beyond the minimum requirements in Title IX. Victims deserve the right to be heard and have their claims investigated in an expeditious and thoughtful manner. After a painstakingly thorough investigation, we have determined that Shelly Meyer failed in her duty as a mandatory reporter. Accordingly, she has been terminated from her position at our university. We found no credible evidence that Coach was ever informed of any misconduct"
 

mauidano

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THE Ohio State and it’s athletic department taking a beating on Twitter.
 

dcmissle

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If Larry Izzo didn't go down, then neither will Meyer.
If they whacked Tressel over tattoos — and they did — it’s hard to see Meyer surviving this absent something indisputably exculpatory.
 

mauidano

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Just my cynicism, I suppose.

OSU will need to figure out if the recruits/winning/revenue he generates for the football program outweighs what a loathsome shit-bag he is.
At this point; no. He is as good as gone, just the paperwork needs to completed. With the allegations of Jim Jordan and the wrestling program assaults still in the air, Meyer is the sacrificial lamb.
 

dhappy42

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But both are mandatory reporters based on their roles, so if they knew they should be fired
How does mandatory reporting work? The police already knew. If Courtney Smith told Urban and Shelly Meyer that Zach Smith was beating her up and the police were already involved, (arrests, restraining orders, etc.) are they supposed to call the police anyway?
 

berniecarbo1

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Not sure what the law is in Ohio, but this link gives you a good review of mandatory reporting for healthcare workers in CA. I'm sure it is similar. I think, based on the facts, the wife may not be in violation. As to Meyer, if he is a mandatory reporter it would be good to see what is required under Ohio law for non-medical professionals to report domestic violence.

It's not going to end well for anyone on this.

http://domesticabuse.stanford.edu/reporting/
 

RedOctober3829

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How does mandatory reporting work? The police already knew. If Courtney Smith told Urban and Shelly Meyer that Zach Smith was beating her up and the police were already involved, (arrests, restraining orders, etc.) are they supposed to call the police anyway?
As part of all university Title IX statutes, certain staff members are mandatory reporters and must report if they know about these types of incidents to Title IX administrators. Both Meyers are mandatory reporters and should have told their respective administrators immediately upon knowledge of the incidents.
 

RedOctober3829

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I take it to mean that this OSU policy states that all employees must report such claims.
https://hr.osu.edu/wp-content/uploads/policy115.pdf

This new clause in Meyer's contract:
New paragraph 4.1 (e) of Meyer's extension reads:

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.

Another new paragraph makes clear that failure to follow this rule could cost Meyer his job.
https://www.cleveland.com/osu/2018/08/the_new_clause_in_urban_meyers.html

Now that says in connection with a university sponsored activity or event but it easily could be applied here and be cause for termination.
 

FL4WL3SS

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Has it been confirmed he didn't report it or are we going off of him denying knowing about anything in his press conference?

Trying to put the facts together, but if he knew about it, knew the cops were already involved, what are the reporting requirements at that point? Pretty weird situation.

I know Smith hasn't been convicted yet, so we don't know what actually happened. Urban is going to fall for lack of reporting whether the domestic violence happened or not (which it sounds like it most certainly did).
 

The Needler

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I take it to mean that this OSU policy states that all employees must report such claims.
https://hr.osu.edu/wp-content/uploads/policy115.pdf

This new clause in Meyer's contract:
New paragraph 4.1 (e) of Meyer's extension reads:

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.

Another new paragraph makes clear that failure to follow this rule could cost Meyer his job.
https://www.cleveland.com/osu/2018/08/the_new_clause_in_urban_meyers.html

Now that says in connection with a university sponsored activity or event but it easily could be applied here and be cause for termination.
No, it says all violations involving any student, faculty or staff or in connection with a university sponsored event. Not "and."
 

riboflav

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I take it to mean that this OSU policy states that all employees must report such claims.
https://hr.osu.edu/wp-content/uploads/policy115.pdf

This new clause in Meyer's contract:
New paragraph 4.1 (e) of Meyer's extension reads:

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.

Another new paragraph makes clear that failure to follow this rule could cost Meyer his job.
https://www.cleveland.com/osu/2018/08/the_new_clause_in_urban_meyers.html

Now that says in connection with a university sponsored activity or event but it easily could be applied here and be cause for termination.

I deleted my post bc I decided I didn't want to get into it. I still doubt he violated any tenet of Title IX and highly doubt he broke the law by not reporting, but, yeah, I can see he seemed to violate this clause in his contract depending on when it was actually installed.
 

PaulinMyrBch

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I think OSU finds some wiggle room in the facts to suspend him for a month. This isn’t a situation that stayed buried because the coach didn’t report it. If he knew he violated that contract clause, but I’m betting OSU finds a way to keep him on with some sort of suspension.
 

thehitcat

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If you read the McMurphy story this seems open and shut to me. Meyer and his staff need to be fired and Meyer's wife, who we know knew what was happening needs to have her nursing credentials/license revoked.
Somehow this got left in the General football thread and wasn't moved yesterday but essentially if you read the story it's clear that not only did Meyer know but so did his Staff via their wives. Anyone on that staff that didn't report this to the Title IX administrator and or their boss should be fired. I guess if Meyer wanted to fall on his sword (when has he ever done that) he could say that his staff told him and he decided to sit on it but really this seems black and white to me that everyone on the staff in 2015 who is still there needs to go. Hell I'd also like Show Cause attached to all these coaches but that's probably just because I'm tired of someone, usually white and male in a position of authority, mansplaining why they couldn't say anything as it would have ruined the abuser's career. Well fuck that guy he was beating his wife in front of their kids, he deserves all the trouble he can handle and by hiding it after you sent your mentors to talk Courtney Smith out of pressing charges in 2009 at Florida you deserve to get fired and banned as well. God I hate the people who run these sports and teams so much at this point. They're all a bunch of unbelievable hypocrites. Core Value #5 anyone? Go fuck yourself Meyer you enabling piece of garbage.
 

The Napkin

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No, you don't understand. He knew and he reported it. He just misspoke about it when he was asked about it at media day and said he didn't know anything about it. Because he wasn't prepared to talk about it and didn't want to say anything misleading. Honest. This time. For real.

 

jcd0805

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That is just head shakingly stupid, omg he wasn't "prepared" so instead of saying "I'm not going to comment" he said something like "where do these reporters even get this stuff?" inferring it was all made up? He needs to be fired instantaneously.
 

VORP Speed

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A James O’Keefe video was released yesterday with some disturbing interviews with 3 former UF players recounting the treatment of athletes by Meyer. I know, O’Keefe, but it’s pretty extended interviews with 3 people all discussing the same events in a completely consistent way. Hard to imagine how you deceptively edit into that.
 

Needlenose's Pole

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Saint Urban's statement today (I reported properly) coupled with Zach Smith's interview (Gene Smith pulled me off the recruiting trail in '15 to investigate) would seem to lay the issue at Gene Smith's doorstep. Meyer may not get a full slate of games this year via some optically harsh but substantively light suspension, but the odds of him being retained are increasingly good.
 

axx

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^^^

Disagree, it doesn't get this far unless someone wants Urban gone. The holdup is probably a lawyer going over the contract to make sure they can terminate him for cause.
 

koufax32

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I don’t believe a word of what was penned by Urban’s lawyer or what came out of Zach Smith’s mouth. They’re backed into a corner.
Seems pretty easy to check, no? Did Meyer say something to a superior, yes or no? If yes, he may survive this. If no, he’s gone.

The good news is that OSU is incentivized to move quickly. Friday night lights during September and October are where recruiting classes are made or lost. They will want 2019 mapped by then.
 

mauf

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Seems pretty easy to check, no? Did Meyer say something to a superior, yes or no? If yes, he may survive this. If no, he’s gone.

The good news is that OSU is incentivized to move quickly. Friday night lights during September and October are where recruiting classes are made or lost. They will want 2019 mapped by then.
I think this is correct. UM’s story is now one than can be easily confirmed or refuted. If he reported the incident in 2015 as he was supposed to, he survives lying to the media. If he didn’t report the incident, he’s out.
 

axx

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I think this is correct. UM’s story is now one than can be easily confirmed or refuted. If he reported the incident in 2015 as he was supposed to, he survives lying to the media. If he didn’t report the incident, he’s out.
Especially in this politically charged era, there is no way he can come back now that's he's been put on leave. The only question is whether OSU seeks a settlement/buyout or just fires him.
 

dcmissle

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Especially in this politically charged era, there is no way he can come back now that's he's been put on leave. The only question is whether OSU seeks a settlement/buyout or just fires him.

You’re kidding?

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/24301333/ohio-state-fans-rallying-urban-meyer

As long as he complied with the policy, he’ll be back and Columbus will have the world’s biggest block party. And recruiting will not be impacted one iota. And the NCAA will have nothing to say about it.

Of course, that’s a huge if — compliance.
 

axx

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You’re kidding?
The media's already convicted him of being a DV enabler, the facts don't really matter. Plus I think there's more to it, perhaps he's rubbed a trustee the wrong way or there are other incidents which is why they moved so quickly to put him on leave.