12:02 pm | August 20, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State’s board of trustees will meet Wednesday morning to discuss “personnel matters” related to the recently concluded investigation involving football coach Urban Meyer.
Investigators working on behalf of Ohio State will brief trustees on their findings during an informal meeting Monday afternoon, the university announced. Ohio laws require that the board provides at least 24 hours of public notice for any formal meetings it plans to hold. A statement from the university said the board members will not reach any conclusions in their meeting Monday.
“The board will not deliberate or discuss any public business or make any decisions today based on the information presented during the session,” the statement said. “Today’s briefing is to ensure that board members are adequately prepared to discuss this matter at Wednesday’s meeting.”
Ohio State placed Meyer on paid administrative leave on Aug. 1 after the ex-wife of a former assistant coach accused Meyer and others at the university of mishandling allegations of domestic abuse she made years earlier. Courtney Smith said in an interview with Stadium she believed that Meyer and others in the football program knew about former wide receiver coach Zach Smith‘s abusive behavior for years and did nothing to help her or discipline him.
Meyer fired Zach Smith on July 23 after allegations about a pattern of troubling behavior were brought to light by college football reporter Brett McMurphy. Meyer told reporters the following day that he knew nothing about a 2015 police investigation involving his former assistant coach. He later reversed course, saying he was not well prepared and failed to be accurate when answering questions about Smith’s past.
Zach Smith said he received a phone call from Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith in October 2015 telling him that he needed to return to Columbus because police wanted to speak to him about a domestic assault accusation. Zach Smith was not charged with a crime for that incident. He said he spoke to Gene Smith and Meyer about the issue that fall.
Gene Smith, who has been Ohio State’s athletic director for more than a decade, declined requests to answer questions about the 2015 incident. A university spokesman said Gene Smith was on vacation during the investigation, but was available to answer questions from investigators if needed.
The university appointed a special working group to investigate Courtney Smith’s allegations on Aug. 4. That group, led by former federal prosecutor Mary Jo White, interviewed several parties during a two-week probe, including Courtney and Zach Smith. They concluded their review Sunday.
University president Michael Drake and the board of trustees will decide if any further action is necessary after reviewing the results of that investigation. Meyer has not been able to interact with the football team during his nearly three weeks on leave. The Buckeyes open their season Sept. 1 with a home game against Oregon State.
Powered by WPeMatico