Ohio State acting head coach Ryan Day sent out an update on the team’s progress without Urban Meyer as the Buckeyes concluded fall camp.
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Ohio State announced Friday evening that its investigation of the football program and Meyer will be completed on Sunday as planned. Investigators will deliver a report for the independent working group directing the probe, which will be shared with the board of trustees in an executive session next week.
Ohio State placed Meyer on paid administrative leave on Aug. 1 after Courtney Smith accused him of mishandling past domestic assault allegations she made against Zach Smith. The university appointed the special working group to review the allegations on Aug. 5 and said the investigation would be completed in two weeks.
Courtney Smith said in an interview with college football reporter Brett McMurphy that she believed Meyer and others at Ohio State knew about accusations of domestic abuse in 2015 and did not act on them. Meyer, who fired Zach Smith in late July, originally said he knew nothing about a 2015 incident between the Smiths. He later retracted that statement and said he followed proper protocol in reporting the issue when it occurred in October 2015.
University president Michael Drake did not get into specifics when asked if lying to the public could be considered a fireable offense.
“What we’re doing now is an investigation to try to find out exactly what happened, why, what the context was, et cetera,” Drake said. “I’m going to wait until I know those things before I make conclusions. I’ve been doing my best possible job to keep an open mind. As I said, stay tuned.”
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith also knew about the 2015 allegations, according to Zach Smith. Gene Smith, who has been in charge of the Buckeyes’ athletic department for more than a decade, has not publicly commented on the situation.
Drake, along with the board of trustees, will determine what action is needed after hearing the results of the investigation. In its statement Friday evening, the university said that public notice of the meeting will be released at least 24 hours in advance, and that following deliberations with the board, Drake will announce his decision.
The independent working group is chaired by former Ohio House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson. The investigation is being led by former chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Mary Jo White, a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
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