A potentially damning report by Brett McMurphy reveals the possibility that Ohio State as well as Urban Meyer knew of the domestic violence allegations against former wide receivers coach Zach Smith in 2015. Last week, Meyer denied knowing as such during Big Ten media days as well as during a back-and-fourth with Cleveland.com:
“When I first heard that last night, I did some research and there was nothing,” Meyer said. “I don’t know. Someone texted me that last night. I said, ‘2015?’ That was only a couple years ago. I told people to go find out for me. I’m not sure where that comes up.”
Within the report, McMurphy details conversations he’s had with Smith’s ex-wife Courtney Smith who in turn came out to reveal text messages with Meyer’s wife, Shelley as well as Lindsey Voltolini, the wife of Ohio State director of football operations Brian Voltolini. These text messages came following a 2015 altercation in which Zach allegedly assaulted his now ex-wife at their home.
“He took me and shoved me up against the wall, with his hands around my neck,” Courtney said. “Something he did very often. My (then 3-year old) daughter was clinging to my leg. It obviously registered with him what he was doing, so he took my (then 5-year old) son and left. So I called the police.”
As far as those text messages exchanged with Urban Meyer’s wife, those were saved by Courtney Smith via screen shot:
There was also a screenshot of a text she exchanged with Zach in which he threatens to ‘fuck up’ a lawyer he suspected Courtney of seeing.
However Ohio State and Urban Meyer’s knowledge of Zach Smith’s alleged history of domestic violence against his ex-wife. McMurphy within his report also outlines a time back in 2009 after Zach’s arrest when Courtney met with a close friend of Urban Meyer, Hiram de Fries who pressured her drop the charges against her then husband because he would ‘never coach again’.
Courtney Smith, the ex-wife of former @ohiostatefb assistant Zach Smith talks about domestic violence and what she thinks Urban Meyer knew. #OhioState
🎥: @WatchStadium pic.twitter.com/CTG2XGgjhh
— The Majors TV 🎥 (@themajorstv) August 1, 2018
Also within the report is the possibility that Ohio State could be in violation of Title IX:
“All the (coaches) wives knew,” Courtney said. “They all did. Every single one.”
Ohio State may be in violation of Title IX, which states: discrimination on the basis of sex, can include sexual harassment, rape, and sexual assault. A college or university that receives federal funding may be held legally responsible when it knows about and ignores sexual harassment or assault in its programs or activities.
[…]
However, text messages I have obtained sent from Courtney Smith, Meyer’s wife Shelley; and other Ohio State coaches’ wives show Urban Meyer and a number of Ohio State assistant coaches were aware of Smith’s domestic violence issues for several years.
Courtney said Shelley Meyer, Urban’s wife of nearly three decades, knew about the abuse that begin in 2009, continued in 2015 and culminated with Zach Smith being served a domestic violence civil protection order last week.
Courtney said she and Shelley often discussed Zach’s domestic violence.
“Shelley said she was going to have to tell Urban,” Courtney said. “I said: ‘That’s fine, you should tell Urban.’ I know Shelley did everything she could.”
Shelley Meyer is a registered nurse and instructor of Clinical Practice at the Ohio State University College of Nursing. She too is bound by Title IX standards.
Ohio State may not be in any danger now if they are in fact in violation of Title IX. However its possible down the road that the University could lose federal funding if they’re found to be violation stemming for these accusations. Financial penalty could run further if anything is brought to trial where OSU could be responsible for paying legal fees or reimbursements based on any potential outcome of a court case or settlement.
As for Urban Meyer there’s really not a whole lot he can say. TheSpun.com points out that his only defense may be saying his wife never told him about her conversations with Courtney which would seem like an unlikely scenario on Meyer’s wife’s part.
Otherwise you have to wonder what kind of action the University could take against Meyer?
Jim Tressel certainly got fired for a much less serious offense. And given today’s #MeToo movement, it doesn’t seem possible Meyer or Ohio State are going to get around this very easily. Nor should they.