Ohio State coach Meyer offers media critique, clarification

Urban Meyer issued a statement Friday attempting to clarify his position on several points related to the Ohio State University investigation into his actions surrounding the domestic violence claims made by Courtney Smith against her husband, the since-fired Buckeyes wide receiver coach Zach Smith.

"While I stand by my apologies to Courtney Smith, her children and everyone else, there have been a number of things reported in the media about President Drake's decision and the Investigative Team's Report that have not been correct and must be clarified," Meyer's statement began.

Meyer is serving a three-game suspension and will not coach in the first three games of the season. Meyer was on administrative leave most of the month of August, but made nearly $600,000 while an investigation into his response to Courtney Smith's claims took place.

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"First, I was not suspended because I knew about or condoned Zach Smith's alleged domestic abuse," Meyer continued, pointing to the lead investigator's findings that "Overall, Coach Meyer impressed us with a sincere commitment to the Respect for Women core value that he espouses and tries to instill in his players."

Meyer continued "On domestic violence, here is what the Investigative Report concluded: We believe (Coach Meyer), as did Zach Smith, that if (Coach Meyer) ever came to learn or believe that Zach Smith had physically abused his wife, Coach Meyer would have fired Zach Smith or any other coach on the spot."

Meyer also made a point to highlight the investigative findings and president statement that he did not "blatantly lie" at Big Ten Media Days when pressed on his knowledge of Smith's legal standing and alleged domestic violence incidents.

"My fault," Meyer said, "was in not taking action sooner against a troubled employee about his work-related issues."

Zach Smith used Twitter to call Ohio State "spineless" on Thursday and university trustee Jeffrey Wadsworth resigned his position, saying he was the "lone voice" among the board members seeking a harsher punishment for Meyer. He declined to discuss in detail the closed-door deliberations, however.

--Field Level Media