Ohio State: Urban Meyer Investigation to Conclude Sunday; Announcement Next Week

It appears as if the college football world will learn of Urban Meyer's status as the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes next week. 

Ohio State University president Michael Drake shared an announcement from the group investigating how Meyer handled domestic violence allegations against former wide receivers coach Zach Smith, noting the investigation will finish Sunday.

When the investigation is complete, a report will be presented to the Board of Trustees, who will then deliberate with Drake on the final decision.

This announcement comes after the school announced on Aug. 5 the investigation was expected to conclude in 14 days, which is Sunday. What's more, Drake said during a Thursday interview with WOSU (h/t Dan Murphy of ESPN.com) the investigation "will be finished when it's finished."

With Ohio State's season opener scheduled for Sept. 1 against Oregon State, it seems there will be clarity for the coaching situation if the announcement on Meyer's job status comes next week. Ryan Day has served as the interim coach while Meyer was placed on paid administrative leave and provided a lengthy update on the team's progress Friday.

Ohio State fired Smith on July 23 following a report from Brett McMurphy that Courtney Smith, Zach Smith's ex-wife, filed a domestic violence civil protection order against him.

McMurphy went on to report Courtney texted the wives of Buckeyes coaches about the alleged abuse, which included Meyer's wife, Shelley.

Meyer spoke at Big Ten media days following Smith's firing and denied knowledge of the domestic violence allegations from 2015. However, later he released a statement saying he did know about the allegations but wasn't prepared for questions about the subject at Big Ten media days.

The statement also said, "I have always followed proper reporting protocols and procedures when I have learned of an incident involving a student-athlete, coach or member of our staff by elevating the issues to the proper channels. And, I did so regarding the Zach Smith incident in 2015. I take that responsibility very seriously and any suggestion to the contrary is simply false."