Ohio State places Meyer on leave

One of college football’s most successful coaches ever, Urban Meyer, is on paid leave while Ohio State University investigates what Meyer and his wife knew about accusations of domestic abuse by one of his assistant coaches, Zach Smith. The college fired Smith on July 23 after reports surfaced that an Ohio court granted his ex-wife, Courtney Smith, a domestic violence protective order. At a Big Ten Conference media day on July 24, Meyer downplayed or denied knowing his assistant had a history of accusations of domestic assault.

On Wednesday, Stadium posted an interview with Courtney Smith and text messages from 2015 between her and Meyer’s wife, Shelley, about Zach Smith’s behavior. Courtney Smith also shared threatening texts she said came from her ex-husband, and text messages between her and other wives of Ohio State assistant coaches discussing Zach Smith.

Both Meyer and his wife, an instructor at the college, could be in violation of Ohio State’s Title IX sexual misconduct policy on reporting accusations of domestic violence.