The Ohio State Buckeyes have given coach Urban Meyer a three-game suspension without pay for his handling of allegations against former assistant coach Zach Smith.
Meyer will miss the first three games of Ohio State’s season, while athletic director Gene Smith will be suspended without pay from his role from Aug. 31 through Sept. 16.
Urban Meyer suspended three games pic.twitter.com/A58efBj6A9
— Bill Bender (@BillBender92) August 23, 2018
The report from Ohio State investigators found that Meyer and Gene Smith had both mistakenly believed they were following proper protocol in their handling of Zach Smith, but ultimately failed to. The investigation also found that neither Meyer nor Gene Smith deliberately covered up any allegations, nor did they violate legal or contractual obligations, which is likely why both are keeping their jobs.
Here are some of the key findings in the report from the investigators: pic.twitter.com/0Nw0nTFG1A
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) August 23, 2018
Based on previous reporting, it would appear that Ohio State president Michael Drake won out over both Meyer and the Board of Trustees, who did not want a suspension and felt time served would be acceptable.
Meyer is set to miss one important contest. Home games against Oregon State and Rutgers likely won’t prove difficult for the Buckeyes, but Meyer will also not be allowed to coach the Sept. 15 game against TCU in Arlington.
