Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith has been suspended along with Urban Meyer following an investigation into what was known about a former assistant coach being accused of domestic violence, and the lawyer for the AD thinks the punishment is an outrage.
On Thursday, attorney Rex Elliott took to Facebook to post a lengthy attack on the media and its “amateur reporting of false information.” Elliott insisted that both Smith and Meyer followed protocol in 2015 after former defensive assistant Zach Smith was accused of assaulting his ex-wife. He also supported Meyer’s claim that he simply misspoke at Big Ten Media Day when he dismissed the 2015 incident as having never taken place.
“So, why the sanction? Well, isn’t it obvious? The country was lathered into a frenzy based on erroneous information and a long delay and OSU needed to appease the lynch mob that had formed as soon as the unproven allegations were made,” Elliott wrote.
“As a result, two great men fell on the sword for a University they dearly love.”
Here’s the full text of Elliott’s post:
Gene Smith’s attorney, Rex Elliott, and Zach Smith have each taken to social media Thursday and in speaking out on Ohio State’s investigation involving Urban Meyer. Elliott: “As a result, two great men fell on the sword for a University they dearly love.” pic.twitter.com/LkJjTd4jzG
— Garrett Stepien (@GarrettStepien) August 24, 2018
While Elliott began his Facebook rant by saying he felt the need to clarify “as a lawyer deeply involved in the investigation on behalf of Gene Smith,” he later deleted the post and tweeted that the thoughts were his alone and did not represent Smith or Ohio State.
Just to clarify the FB post I wrote today was not authorized by Gene or anyone at OSU. My thoughts and mine alone.
— Rex Elliott (@RexElliott6) August 24, 2018
Zach Smith has fiercely defended himself against the allegations, but he has continued to look worse and worse with every piece of information that has come out since Brett McMurphy broke his initial report.
