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#pounditThursday, March 28, 2024

Eli Apple, former Ohio State players react to Urban Meyer investigation

Urban Meyer

The situation involving Urban Meyer at Ohio State has sent shockwaves across the sports world, and many of the coach’s former players have been asked to weigh in on it. On Thursday, New York Giants cornerback Eli Apple shared his thoughts.

While speaking with reporters at training camp, Apple described Meyer’s administrative leave and the investigation as “unfortunate.”

“It’s a crazy, unfortunate situation,” Apple said, via Matt Lombardo of NJ.com. “I just hope it gets worked out.”

When pressed further and asked if he believes Meyer knew of the 2015 domestic violence allegations against his assistant, Zach Smith, that he claimed to have no knowledge of, Apple stopped short of supporting his former coach.

“I can’t say. I don’t know,” he said. “It’s very surprising. Definitely. He was one of my coaches when I played. You don’t really know somebody outside of football, like you want to. Hopefully, they can get the situation worked out.”

Others who played for Meyer or at Ohio State were far less reserved. Zach Boren, a free agent fullback who went to Ohio State, said the allegations against Smith from his ex-wife have nothing to do with Meyer. Former Buckeyes defensive end Matt Finkes took a similar stance.

Buckeyes alumni weren’t all supportive of Meyer, however.

Smith was the longest-tenured member of Meyer’s staff prior to his firing last Monday. Meyer admitted that he knew of domestic violence allegations against Smith from 2009 but claimed what was reported about them was inaccurate. He then said he had no knowledge of any other incidents between Smith and his ex-wife, but some text messages uncovered by Brett McMurphy on Wednesday seem to indicate otherwise.

H/T Eleven Warriors

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