Courtney Smith's mother, Tina Carano, told Brett McMurphy in an interview on Saturday that former Ohio State wide receivers coach Zach Smith "grabbed (Courtney) around the neck to get away from her," but said that she did not believe Zach ever threw a punch at her daughter, his ex-wife.
“He hit her because of self defense,” Carano told McMurphy on Saturday. “It’s not like he punched (her) or threw a punch at her. He was putting his hands against her throat and pushing her against a wall to get away. That’s all I’m going to say.