Urban Meyer Banned from Contacting Ohio State Players amid Investigation
While on administrative leave pending an investigation into the handling of 2015 domestic violence charges against former wide receivers coach Zach Smith, Ohio State head football coach Urban Meyer is not permitted to speak with Buckeyes players or members of the team’s coaching staff.
On Thursday, Ohio State assistant vice president for university communications Christopher Davey confirmed to Cleveland.com’s Bill Landis that Meyer is also barred from campus and is unable to use any university-issued communication devices including his OSU email account.
According to CBS Sports’ Ben Kercheval, the Buckeyes coach initially denied knowledge of the claims against Smith three years ago at the Big Ten media days, stating, I got a text last night that something happened in 2015, and there was nothing.
According to Brett McMurphy, a college football reporter, information collected from the accused victim, Smith’s ex-wife Courtney Smith, indicates Meyer had prior knowledge of the issue on August
Meyer issued a response two days later on Twitter, acknowledging he failed with his comments during the media days but adding that he followed proper reporting protocols in 2015:
A special, independent six-person group is evaluating the incident ahead of the 2018 season, according to Ohio State.
In Meyer’s absence, Ohio State offensive coordinator Ryan Day is serving as the team’s acting head coach.
The club will kick off the regular season against Oregon State on September 1.
