Until this week, Ohio State’s Urban Meyer was among the most valuable coaches in college football.
He has shepherded Heisman Trophy winners and top draft picks, like Tim Tebow and Alex Smith, and has won relentlessly, guiding his teams at Florida and then Ohio State to three national championships since 2006. In his six seasons in Columbus, Meyer’s Buckeyes have gone 73-8, giving him a higher winning percentage than Nick Saban has in 11 seasons at Alabama.
Then, in a matter of hours Wednesday, he became arguably the most radioactive coach in the game. Ohio State placed Meyer, 54, on paid administrative leave while it investigates whether he knew about domestic violence allegations against a longtime assistant.