Urban Meyer Said He Followed His Heart, Not His Head on Zach Smith Allegations

After Ohio State announced Wednesday that Urban Meyer would be suspended without pay for the first three games of the 2018 season, the head coach read a prepared statement regarding his handling of domestic violence accusations against former assistant Zach Smith.

The Big Ten Network shared video of Meyer's statement, in which he said he "followed my heart and not my head" prior to firing Smith on July 23.

Smith's firing came after his ex-wife, Courtney Smith, was granted a personal protection order that requires him to stay at least 500 feet away from her after he was charged with criminal trespassing in May.

During Big Ten media days on July 24, Meyer told reporters Smith's firing was a "very tough call."

"I do understand the value that the Ohio State University is bigger than all of us," Meyer said. "It wasn't just my decision. It was other people I relied on."

Meyer also admitted to being aware of a 2009 report of domestic violence filed against Smith but said he didn't know of a second alleged incident between Zach and Courtney in 2015 until the day Zach was fired.

"I got a text last night that something happened in 2015, and there was nothing," Meyer told reporters.

However, Stadium's Brett McMurphy reported Meyer did know of the allegations in 2015. That led to the head coach being placed on paid administrative leave while the school investigated.

Per Eleven Warriors' Dan Hope, Mary Jo White, who led Ohio State's independent investigation of the case, said the investigators "did not determine that Urban Meyer deliberately lied" about the 2015 allegations during Big Ten media days.

Meyer will miss home games against Oregon State, Rutgers and at TCU as a result of his suspension.