Urban Meyer could be contractually fired with cause if he lied

Urban Meyer could be contractually fired with cause by Ohio State University if he lied about his knowledge of the 2015 allegations his former wide receivers/recruiting coordinator was facing.

Zach Smith was fired by Ohio State last Monday after Brett McMurphy reported about the 2015 assault allegations and recent protective order the former wide receivers coach was hit with by his ex-wife. Smith was fired later in the evening after McMurphy reported the news about the protective order and allegations.

Meyer claimed to not have previous knowledge of the 2015 domestic assault allegations against Smith prior to McMurphy’s report.

“I was never told about anything. I never had a conversation about it, so I know nothing about it. First I heard about it was last night,” Meyer said of the situation from Big Ten media day last Tuesday.

What and when Meyer knew about the allegations Smith was facing is at the center of the case that the school is investigating while Meyer is on administrative leave.

Per a new clause that was added to his contract that was signed for his extension in April, Meyer is required to report any known Title IX violation committed by a student, faculty or staff member. Smith and Meyer were staff members in 2015.

With Urban Meyer on administrative leave, it’s worth noting that these sections were added to his most recent contract extension that was signed in April: pic.twitter.com/c8JNVCCj1V

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) August 1, 2018

If Meyer did not know of the alleged 2015 incidents involving Smith and his now-ex-wife Courtney, then he would not have had anything to report to the Title IX office.

But McMurphy reported on Wednesday that Urban Meyer is lying about what he knew. McMurphy says text messages between Courtney Smith and Urban’s wife Shelley Meyer suggest Shelley was shaken by Courtney’s allegations and said she would talk with her husband about them. McMurphy also said that Courtney exchanged text messages with another staffer’s wife who said Meyer and Zach Smith talked about the allegations and Smith denied everything.

Ohio State’s investigation will likely center around what they find out Meyer knew about the 2015 allegations.