Urban Meyer Suspended 3 Games For Role In Zach Smith Domestic Violence Probe

[RSTuthill]

I dunno, since when did a boss become responsible for what happens in a subordinate's home? I mean, really. Yeah, maybe if law enforcement tells the boss that there is an ongoing investigation a suspension is warranted. But otherwise?

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I cannot fathom how stupid one person (let alone two) has to be to ring up a $600 bill on the state dime at a strip club.

 

[champs99and04]

The right move probably would have been to fire him based on all the available objective information.

That said, you're getting another glimpse into the real toxicity that plagues this country.

Wages of journalists & reporters suppressed ----> Journalists and reporters develop a self-interest in covering stories that align with the public's appetite for mindless drama ----> Fans have their own emotions used against them and are baited into processing fragments as truth based on some other reason they don't like that person

Here's my column on how Urban Meyer kind of deserves blame but also not really:

Or better yet here's my column on how I just don't know what to think about this because there's so much I don't know:

It's not a coincidence that the dude who broke this story just got laid off. There are serious, deeply embedded problems that people aren't going to see because it's not worth investing in the truth until it's you who needs it.

I find Urban to be hypocritical, power-obsessed, stubborn, and largely emotionally unwell. But it's easier to just make this about women, because using real words to describe polarizing topics doesn't work as well cannibalistic repetition. There's no need to consider the fact that the underlying thread in all of this is communication, let's just release a statement, throw Urban in front of a camera to say something he doesn't mean, then ignore it for the rest of time because why would we ever want our public figures to be open and contrite when it might impact our business model, which by the way is completely at odds with any reasonable power structure as it is?

Everyone owns a share in this. I become dumber every time I listen to people who get paid to talk about this stuff talk about this stuff. Our smartest people are often the ones furthest away from the camera and that's a real problem.

 

[champs99and04]

I dunno, since when did a boss become responsible for what happens in a subordinate's home? I mean, really. Yeah, maybe if law enforcement tells the boss that there is an ongoing investigation a suspension is warranted. But otherwise?

The issue at the center of this is that Urban didn't communicate information to his higher-ups that theoretically anyone could have communicated to those people. More broadly, it's a matter of evidence. What cleared Zach Smith in the eyes of the police should not have cleared him at Ohio State.

The problem is that it's pretty natural to think that if the police know about something, then there's really no need for the football coach to know. The whole point of being a self-reporter, after all, is to protect people. To the extent that Urban failed in that assignment is a reflection of the larger failure of our legal system to protect women. But that's not as fun as it is to nail an all-time great football coach to the cross for now apparently being a despicable human being.

 

[huskymedic]

It's not a coincidence that the dude who broke this story just got laid off.

You may be interested in reading this. McMurphy was laid off by ESPN over a year ago and was on a 18 month severance package:

How ESPN Ended Up Paying Brett McMurphy To Post The Year's Biggest College Football Story On Facebook.

 

[huskymedic]

Long but interesting...

 

[freescooter]

I dunno, since when did a boss become responsible for what happens in a subordinate's home? I mean, really. Yeah, maybe if law enforcement tells the boss that there is an ongoing investigation a suspension is warranted. But otherwise?

I sort of get your point except that this is s high profile public job that has specific rules about reporting these types of things. I mean, if you carry your case to it’s logical extreme you could argue Joe Paterno did nothing wrong. He wasn’t responsible for for the monster on his staff who by all accounts did his job a defensive coordinator quite well. Same with Wilson. Good coach who just happened to beat his wife. Of well. No Urban’s problem.

It is arguable that if he happened to work in a back office for Aetna and he wasn’t arrested his bosses aren’t responsible. On the other hand if he’s an on-air personality on Chanel 3 they might take a different view.

 

[freescooter]

Guessing if some other information comes out, or if the heat stays on, they will claim new info came out, and Meyer will be fired. Then in 2020 he will begin a comeback tour at some Sunbelt school for a year or two. Then end up at Louisville.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

I dunno, since when did a boss become responsible for what happens in a subordinate's home? I mean, really. Yeah, maybe if law enforcement tells the boss that there is an ongoing investigation a suspension is warranted. But otherwise?

Especially regarding individuals responsible for overseeing state-linked university athletic programs, Randy Edsall's tweet may be relevant.

“It isn’t the original scandal that gets people in trouble - it’s the attempted cover-up.”-Tom Petri

 

[Chief00]

Gotta love gone on-line sleuths:

This was included in the report to demonstrate Urban monitored the program and assistant coaches and in this case took action, etc. For OSU and Urban it’s all good.

 

[huskymedic]

This was included in the report to demonstrate Urban monitored the program and assistant coaches and in this case took action, etc. For OSU and Urban it’s all good.

Tom Herman wasn’t mentioned in the report...

 

[Chief00]

The issue at the center of this is that Urban didn't communicate information to his higher-ups that theoretically anyone could have communicated to those people. More broadly, it's a matter of evidence. What cleared Zach Smith in the eyes of the police should not have cleared him at Ohio State.

The problem is that it's pretty natural to think that if the police know about something, then there's really no need for the football coach to know. The whole point of being a self-reporter, after all, is to protect people. To the extent that Urban failed in that assignment is a reflection of the larger failure of our legal system to protect women. But that's not as fun as it is to nail an all-time great football coach to the cross for now apparently being a despicable human being.

Simple question - How do you know the police and prosecutors office failed to protect women by how they examined the evidence and the conclusions they made about the evidence?

 

[Chief00]

Tom Herman wasn’t mentioned in the report...

Never said he was. You need to read better. Just said it was an example of Urban monitoring assistant coaches.

 

[huskymedic]

Never said he was. You need to read better. Just said it was an example of Urban monitoring assistant coaches.

Yeah... Urban did a great job monitoring his WR Coach. You’re still defending him after reading the report in detail?

 

[Chief00]

Yeah... Urban did a great job monitoring his WR Coach.

That why they put it in, in my opinion. It was exculpatory evidence to support the decision.

I think you are letting your personal feelings about some of the players in this saga impact your judgement. At some point, you may have to take a step back and reevaluate if your initial assumptions were correct.

 

[Stainmaster]

Yeah... Urban did a great job monitoring his WR Coach. You’re still defending him after reading the report in detail?

Of course he is. He has a cultural blindspot when it comes to the issue in question.

 

[RSTuthill]

I sort of get your point except that this is s high profile public job that has specific rules about reporting these types of things. I mean, if you carry your case to it’s logical extreme you could argue Joe Paterno did nothing wrong. He wasn’t responsible for for the monster on his staff who by all accounts did his job a defensive coordinator quite well. Same with Wilson. Good coach who just happened to beat his wife. Of well. No Urban’s problem.

It is arguable that if he happened to work in a back office for Aetna and he wasn’t arrested his bosses aren’t responsible. On the other hand if he’s an on-air personality on Chanel 3 they might take a different view.

I think there is a line to be drawn, that is all. There is a fundamental difference between this case and Penn State.

 

[CTMike]

At some point, you may have to take a step back and reevaluate if your initial assumptions were correct.

Like assuming our AD screwed up our TV negotiations resulting in every football game starting at 11:11am?

 

[huskymedic]

I think you are letting your personal feelings about some of the players in this saga impact your judgement. At some point, you may have to take a step back and reevaluate if your initial assumptions were correct.

I have no personal feelings about the “players in this saga” - I don’t know any of them and their actions/inactions do not impact me or anyone close to me. They are all slimey. You are an outlier here.

Urban still has his job because if they fired him, they had to fire Smith too and they aren’t prepared to deal with that impact.

 

[UConnNick]

I dunno, since when did a boss become responsible for what happens in a subordinate's home? I mean, really. Yeah, maybe if law enforcement tells the boss that there is an ongoing investigation a suspension is warranted. But otherwise?

Any average person usually knows that domestic abuse cases are very hard to prove (see Warren Moon, Fort Bend Co. TX). Therefore, where seemingly credible allegations exist, there's usually fire. Waiting for a law enforcement conviction before taking any punitive employment action against a perp, with morals clauses in everybodys' employment contracts, is totally insane. OSU has reporting policies and internal investigation procedures in place. They should have been utilized, irrespective of whether or not there were any criminal charges or indictments. Meyer clearly was shielding Earle Bruce's grandson and enabling him to continue abusing his wife. You can draw your own conclusions about what kind of person Meyer is. His wife as well, who doesn't appear particularly credible either.

 

[Chief00]

Any average person usually knows that domestic abuse cases are very hard to prove (see Warren Moon, Fort Bend Co. TX). Therefore, where seemingly credible allegations exist, there's usually fire. Waiting for a law enforcement conviction before taking any punitive employment action against a perp, with morals clauses in everybodys' employment contracts, is totally insane. OSU has reporting policies and internal investigation procedures in place. They should have been utilized, irrespective of whether or not there were any criminal charges or indictments. Meyer clearly was shielding Earle Bruce's grandson and enabling him to continue abusing his wife. You can draw your own conclusions about what kind of person Meyer is. His wife as well, who doesn't appear particularly credible either.

Lots of assumptions - “seemingly credible” - but they were all investigated criminally and then through the employer investigation and this is what we got. Or, if you are right, all of the BOT, President and outside investigators are basically involved in one big conspiracy?

 

[Chief00]

Urban still has his job because if they fired him, they had to fire Smith too and they aren’t prepared to deal with that impact.

This may or may not be true but you and I have no clue. So why do you say it like its fact?
Just maybe their decision was based on the facts uncovered in the investigation rather than all these bad motivates you ascribe to people you never met or know anything about.

 

[UConnNick]

Lots of assumptions - “seemingly credible” - but they were all investigated criminally and then through the employer and this is what we got.

When were they ever investigated through the employer, until now after the fact? It's difficult to conduct a credible internal investigation through the university process when nobody ever reports anything that happened in real time. Now phone records have been destroyed and who knows what other evidence is gone? It's now nothing but a massive cover up, as in who knew and when did they know it?

You're a Meyer apologist, which makes you a domestic abuse apologist.

 

[champs99and04]

Any average person usually knows that domestic abuse cases are very hard to prove (see Warren Moon, Fort Bend Co. TX). Therefore, where seemingly credible allegations exist, there's usually fire. Waiting for a law enforcement conviction before taking any punitive employment action against a perp, with morals clauses in everybodys' employment contracts, is totally insane. OSU has reporting policies and internal investigation procedures in place. They should have been utilized, irrespective of whether or not there were any criminal charges or indictments. Meyer clearly was shielding Earle Bruce's grandson and enabling him to continue abusing his wife. You can draw your own conclusions about what kind of person Meyer is. His wife as well, who doesn't appear particularly credible either.

I was with you until the last three sentences. That's an awfully grim interpretation of a situation that's a lot easier to diagnose from a distance.

Do you really think, in his full consciousness, that he tolerates abuse of any kind? Or do you think it's more likely that he's unfamiliar with the nuance you outlined at the beginning of your post?

 

[Chief00]

When were they ever investigated through the employer, until now after the fact? It's difficult to conduct a credible internal investigation through the university process when nobody ever reports anything that happened in real time. Now phone records have been destroyed and who knows what other evidence is gone? It's now nothing but a massive cover up, as in who knew and when did they know it?

You're a Meyer apologist, which makes you a domestic abuse apologist.

The police investigation was done in real time on Smith and the results speak for themselves. You obviously did not read my earlier posts because of course I am against domestic abuse - However are you? Because you seem to intermingle the cases that are legitimate with a case like this one - where there is no known evidence of abuse - which is a crime. The prosecutors office did review texts in real time from the Smiths.

 

[Chief00]

I was with you until the last three sentences. That's an awfully grim interpretation of a situation that's a lot easier to diagnose from a distance.

Do you really think, in his full consciousness, that he tolerates abuse of any kind? Or do you think it's more likely that he's unfamiliar with the nuance you outlined at the beginning of your post?

He’s talking in hyperbole.

 

[BNich]

This disgusts me. 3 game suspension. Can't be with his team until Sept. 3, what 10 days? Such a joke! Not once did he apologize to the victim. Unreal.

 

[UConnNick]

The police investigation was done in real time on Smith and the results speak for themselves. You obviously did not read my earlier posts because of course I am against domestic abuse - However are you? Because you seem to intermingle the cases that are legitimate with a case like this one - where there is no known evidence of abuse - which is a crime. The prosecutors office did review texts in real time from the Smiths.

You're missing the entire point. Proving a domestic abuse case in court is dependent on having cooperative witnesses. Many times spouses and other family members refuse to testify. That doesn't mean the abuse didn't occur as a matter of fact, it just can't be proven in court.

Apparently Smith's ex was successfully able to show a civil court family law judge enough proof of prior or threatened abuse to obtain an injunction against him, which he was apparently unsuccessful in refuting, if he cared to try.

 

[champs99and04]

You may be interested in reading this. McMurphy was laid off by ESPN over a year ago and was on a 18 month severance package:

How ESPN Ended Up Paying Brett McMurphy To Post The Year's Biggest College Football Story On Facebook.

I don't blame him for pursuing the story. I just find the whole way this has developed to be really odd. Journalism is changing - everything they do is less geared towards a niche group and more towards roping in a larger audience. As a result you'll see significant stories linger under the radar for a long time until they suddenly explode overnight.

 

[whaler11]

I cannot fathom how stupid one person (let alone two) has to be to ring up a $600 bill on the state dime at a strip club.

when you are allowed to get away with everything short of murder you get bold.