Ohio State coach Urban Meyer to retire

Ohio State University officials announced Tuesday that head football coach Urban Meyer will retire after his team plays Washington in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. Meyer’s highly successful tenure at the Columbus, Ohio, school was overshadowed this year by controversy and criticism related to his handling of domestic violence accusations against a now-fired assistant coach. An investigation later revealed that Meyer had tolerated other bad behavior from Zach Smith, which led to the school suspending Meyer for the first three games of this season.

School officials did not give a reason for Meyer’s decision to step down, but in addition to the Smith controversy, the 54-year-old coach has an arachnoid cyst in his brain that causes severe headaches.

Meyer, who led Ohio State to an 82-9 record over seven seasons and a national championship in 2014, will formally announce his retirement at a news conference Tuesday, where co-offensive coordinator Ryan Day will be named Meyer’s successor. Meyer previously coached at Bowling Green, Utah, and Florida, where he led the Gators to national championships in 2006 and 2008.