# Will Urban Meyer get fired? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 1, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935 "2018-08-01T17:29:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/1 "2018-08-01T17:29:47Z")
Hasn’t been much talk around here about the Ohio State coaching drama recently, but there is now a report that says [Urban Meyer knew a lot more than he let on](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2788947-report-urban-meyer-knew-of-abuse-allegations-against-ohio-state-coach-in-2015)about one of his (now former) assistant’s domestic abuse history. What is it with college football coaches lying about stuff? Hell, the last decent coach at Ohio State got fired for lying about much more trivial stuff. On the other extreme, you’ve got Joe Paterno lying about pretty big stuff. So, will this be Urban’s undoing? Like with most controversies, I’d say ten years ago his job would have been safe. But now? Enabling domestic abuse is pretty universally frowned upon. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2018, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/2 "2018-08-01T17:45:08Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > What is it with college football coaches lying about stuff? Prolly has something to do with college football coaches being paid shitloads of money; like, way more money than coaching a sport should ever be worth. Our military generals don’t make as much as many college football coaches, ffs. IIRC, in 34 states the highest paid public employee is a college football and/or basketball coach. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/3 "2018-08-01T17:52:34Z")
That’s true, and the pressure to win is huge. Especially at a place like Ohio State. But Urban was lying about a wide receiver coach. Not a star player. Not even a coordinator. This guy was Urban’s mentor’s grandson, so there’s a relationship there. But still, he’s a receiver coach. If Urban would have 'fessed up about knowing something in 2015, he’d be in less hot water. These guys just don’t learn. The truth will come out. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2018, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/4 "2018-08-01T20:01:34Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > Hasn’t been much talk around here about the Ohio State coaching drama recently, but there is now a report that says [Urban Meyer knew a lot more than he let on](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2788947-report-urban-meyer-knew-of-abuse-allegations-against-ohio-state-coach-in-2015)about one of his (now former) assistant’s domestic abuse history. What is it with college football coaches lying about stuff? Hell, the last decent coach at Ohio State got fired for lying about much more trivial stuff. On the other extreme, you’ve got Joe Paterno lying about pretty big stuff. > > So, will this be Urban’s undoing? Like with most controversies, I’d say ten years ago his job would have been safe. But now? Enabling domestic abuse is pretty universally frowned upon. We live in a world of mob justice now. They lie and cover up because there’s absolutely no upside to being transparent here. Having an issue go public after you’ve addressed it professionally internally has almost identical penalties to covering it up but with a 100% chance of blowback, the cover up at least has some chance of success. It’s only gonna get worse. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2018, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/5 "2018-08-01T23:20:14Z")
He’s been placed on administrative leave, so yes , the mob is getting worse ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/6 "2018-08-02T12:07:44Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > We live in a world of mob justice now. > It’s only gonna get worse. I just read a short article about this. First I’ve heard about it (up at 3am, can’t sleep). Something weird about this. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/7 "2018-08-02T14:34:47Z")
I honestly think Urban could have said last week that he knew about the 2015 incident, did whatever he did, admit mistakes were made, and he might have survived this. But the downside of lying is so much greater. If he definitely knew about the 2015 incident, swept it under the rug back then, and then lied about a week ago, he’s toast. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/8 "2018-08-02T17:04:22Z")
I can only dream that they replace him with Charlie Weiss or Brady Hoke. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/9 "2018-08-02T17:35:52Z")
If Urban indeed is toast, I expect they’ll tap Greg Schiano at least as an interim coach. Of course, Schiano has his own controversy and drama, but OSU has backed him up. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/10 "2018-08-02T17:47:11Z")
He should be. Half the players on his Florida team were arrested for one thing or another during his tenure. One player, a known domestic abuser, texted his “ex”, “Time to die, bitch!” He was suspended for four games. The sharks were swirling around him then, but he left because of his “heart condition” which, amazingly, completely cleared up when Ohio State offered him their head coaching job. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/11 "2018-08-02T17:54:08Z")
most OSU fans will want him to stay. That’s because most fans only want a coach fired for one reason - losing. Witness the tantrums PSU fans threw after Paterno was fired for covering up child rape. Most likely he will “quit” and get a nice payout and get hired by a smaller school in a few years. He could probably go back to a school in the mountain west like Utah where he was for a few years. (and I know Utah is now in the PAC 12 , not the MW ) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/12 "2018-08-02T18:05:03Z")
I’m curious about the specific language added to his contract extension. The cynical me would think that the administration saw this coming, and went into CYA mode to prevent having to pay him off if/when fired. But I’m not cynical. Not about College Football. Not at all. 😉 And I think we’ll see Mr. Meyer again after a short “retirement” when some desperate school backs up a dump truck full of money to his drive-way. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/13 "2018-08-02T18:32:08Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > most OSU fans will want him to stay. That’s because most fans only want a coach fired for one reason - losing. Witness the tantrums PSU fans threw after Paterno was fired for covering up child rape. > > Most likely he will “quit” and get a nice payout and get hired by a smaller school in a few years. He could probably go back to a school in the mountain west like Utah where he was for a few years. (and I know Utah is now in the PAC 12 , not the MW ) With PSU though, fans and alumni had been calling for Paterno to leave way before the cover up allegations surfaced. Paterno was old and it seemed the only thing Paterno cared about was the silly chase with Bobby Bowden. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/14 "2018-08-03T11:52:52Z")
It’s amazing how the smirky smugness in the Columbus Dispatch sports pages about Penn State and Michigan State scandals has suddenly died away, following the O.S.U. wrestling team doctor revelations and now Urban’s troubles. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/15 "2018-08-03T13:38:30Z")
The Dispatch is trash, always has been. I stopped reading it over a decade ago. The latest news is OSU has appointed an independent investigation to find out what Urban knew and when he knew it. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/16 "2018-08-03T13:43:29Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > most OSU fans will want him to stay. That’s because most fans only want a coach fired for one reason - losing. That’s exactly right. We have a real character problem as a people in this country. You just have to look at sports, politics, and business to see it. ---
**Author:** ![Doyle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doyle/32/439_2.png) [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/17 "2018-08-03T14:11:19Z")
Not firing Zach Smith has more to do with Meyer’s loyalty to Smith’s grandfather, Earl Bruce, than with winning. WR coaches are a dime a dozen. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/18 "2018-08-03T15:29:51Z")
[Columnist Paul Newberry thinks it’s ridiculous that Urban Meyer is trying to claim he knew nothing about Smith’s violence.](https://apnews.com/9bf365f3a6bf40c2981429c3e6de977c/Column:-Control-freak-Meyer-suddenly-'knows-nothing') > [@](#): > > College coaches are notorious control freaks. > > From making sure every minute of practice is accounted for to fretting over what players are putting in their bodies at the dining hall, no detail is too small for a coach’s prying eyes. > > They have to know everything. > > Which is why it’s ludicrous to believe that Urban Meyer turned into Sgt. Schultz — the “Hogan’s Heroes” character famous for saying “I know nothing. Nothing!” — when asked about multiple domestic abuse allegations involving one of his assistant coaches. > > Which is why Meyer will probably soon be Ohio State’s ex-football coach. > [@](#): > > Like so many who came before him — Joe Paterno, Rick Pitino, et al — Meyer was more consumed with winning at all costs, protecting his program’s reputation and covering for his buddies than doing the right thing, the obvious thing, what should’ve been the easy thing. > > For Meyer, the handling of former Buckeyes assistant Zach Smith is simply the latest episode in a disturbing pattern of playing dumb, even while keeping track of such minute details as a player’s heart rate at practice . He talks about Meyer’s time at Florida and Aaron Hernandez, of course. Then he drops bombshells: > [@](#): > > But Smith’s personal life has long been troubled, and Meyer certainly knew at least part of the story. Last week at Big Ten media days, the coach said he was aware of a 2009 case in which Smith was accused of aggravated battery on his then-pregnant wife while coaching at Florida. > > The charge was dropped because of insufficient evidence. Meyer said he and his wife, Shelley, addressed the incident with the Smiths, but that’s about as far as it went. > [@](#): > > Courtney Smith told Stadium that she told Shelley Meyer in 2015 that Zach Smith had assaulted her . Courtney Smith provided text messages to former ESPN reporter Brett McMurphy between her and Shelley Meyer about Zach Smith’s behavior, and threatening text messages she said were sent to her by Zach Smith. > > “Shelley said she was going to have to tell Urban,” Courtney Smith told Stadium. “I said: ‘That’s fine, you should tell Urban.’” > > Courtney Smith concedes that she does not know if Shelley Meyer ever told her husband about the allegations. If we’re to believe what Urban Meyer said last week, his wife kept quiet about the whole affair, not even bothering to mention at the dinner table, “Hey, you’ve got an assistant coach who might have a problem.” > > Urban Meyer could even be throwing his wife under the bus. As a university employee herself, she will surely face questions about whether she violated some sort of Ohio State policy — or, at the very least, failed to meet a moral obligation — if she indeed failed to report an allegation of domestic violence against someone who works at the school. I don’t think Mr. Meyer will have a job at the end of next week; I won’t be surprised if first thing Monday the notice that he’s fired will be made public. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/19 "2018-08-03T15:42:07Z")
Yeah, he’s gone. Gotta get it done before training camp gets under way, so there’s no confusion. Are coaches, and coaches’ wives, mandated reporters in Ohio? ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935/20 "2018-08-03T15:45:39Z")
Wow, I haven’t read the sports pages for a few days and now I’m reading that Meyer might be let go from OSU. Had no idea that this was percolating. But look, Meyer clearly brought controversy with him to Ohio State. I think he was hired before Aaron Hernandez went on a killing spree, but there were already some incidents with players on his Gators squads, including Hernandez. Meyer cares about winning, and that’s pretty much it. I get that he can’t be held responsible for what individual players do, but he controls how he responds to the incidents. Lying about not having advanced knowledge of these incidents doesn’t change what happened, but it communicates some level of tolerance and countenance. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-urban-meyer-get-fired/818935.md?page=2)