May 5, 2026

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer put on leave amid abuse probe of fired assistant

Urban Meyer led the Buckeyes to the national championship in 2014.  (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File) Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer was placed on paid administrative leave Wednesday as the university investigates what he knew about domestic abuse claims against an assistant coach who was fired last week. Offensive coordinator Ryan Day will serve as acting head coach for the Buckeyes, expected to be one of the top teams in the nation again this season. The announcement was made hours after the ex-wife of former wide receivers coach Zach Smith alleged publicly that she told Meyer’s wife in 2015 that Smith had assaulted her. Courtney Smith made the allegations in an interview with the digital sports network Stadium and provided text messages to reporter Brett McMurphy. “Shelley said she was going to have to tell Urban,” Courtney Smith told Stadium. “I said: ‘That’s fine, you should tell Urban.'” Smith was…

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