Late Sunday night, Ohio State released an updated statement regarding its investigation into the allegations made against head coach Urban Meyer related to his knowledge of domestic abuse by a former assistant coach. According to the statement from Ohio State, a conclusion to this investigation is expected within 14 days.
Ohio House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson has been assigned the role of the chairwoman for the working group, which was previously announced by the university late last week. Once the investigation is completed, the university president will make an ultimate decision on what happens next following a consultation with the Board of Trustees. It is unclear if the board and president will make their decisions within the 14-day time span, although the way the statement is worded suggests that may not be the case. If the investigation takes 14 days in full to complete, then a decision may be at least another day away from being made, whatever that may be.
“Ohio State is committed to a thorough and complete investigation,” Davidson said in a released statement. “We look forward to sharing the results of this investigation and any action the university may take.”
It is clear, however, Ohio State is working to bring some resolution to this situation ahead of the football season. To some, it may appear Ohio State is rushing this process in order to have the football team in position to begin the season knowing who exactly will be the head coach, whether it be Meyer returning from his administrative leave or interim head coach Ryan Day (or somebody else?) leading the Buckeyes. But a two-week time span to review the facts already known and any information previously reported feels appropriate for a comprehensive review as long as all parties involved are transparent and forthcoming in their stories.
After initially stating he was unsure how a story like this was even manufactured at Big Ten media day, Meyer has since announced he was aware of the alleged domestic abuse by former wide receivers coach Zach Smith. Furthermore, Meyer claimed to report the news up the chain of command, thus putting the focus on athletics director Gene Smith. Zach Smith also confirmed Gene Smith was aware of the situation. Zach Smith continues to deny he committed acts of domestic abuse against his wife but has admitted confrontations between the two had gotten physical at times and those interactions may have resulted in scratches and bruises and more even though Smith claims any injuries he was responsible for were in acts of self-defense.
Ohio State’s football season begins on September 1 at home against Oregon State. Kickoff is in 26 days. By then, we should know who the head coach of Ohio State will be, one way or the other.