Because Urban Meyer believed Zach Smith never committed domestic violence against his ex-wife, and because investigators ultimately believed that Meyer was sincere in that belief, he’s still the head football coach at Ohio State.
Yet because Meyer employed Smith as Ohio State’s wide receivers coach for more than six years, overlooking a pattern of off-field allegations and transgressions that dated back to before he was even hired at Ohio State, Meyer was suspended for the first three games of the Buckeyes’ upcoming season – and some believe that wasn’t enough.
In a press conference at the Longaberger Alumni House on Wednesday night, shortly after his suspension was announced, Meyer finally acknowledged what many had already believed: that his decision to employ and continue to employ Smith, despite his shortcomings off and even on the field, was – in Meyer’s words – “likely impacted” by his loyalty to Smith’s grandfather, former Ohio State head football coach Earle Bruce, who Meyer revered as a mentor.