COLUMBUS – In light of recent protests that have taken place in Charlottesville, Virginia, and elsewhere around the country, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer was asked Monday whether he had taken any time during fall camp to discuss those events with his team.
Meyer, who regularly speaks with his team about issues outside of football on "Live Life Wednesdays," confirmed he had multiple conversations with his team about what happened in Virginia and encouraged his players to focus on their own actions and the way they treat the people around them.
"We were kind of buried in training camp, but I went to each room, we talked about things, and there’s some tough things going on right here," Meyer said. "And we’ve kind of taken the approach, it started last year with Live Life Wednesdays, was you can’t really control what’s going on out there. But you can be a shining light and kind of a role model for the way you handle your business and not only for your family, but Ohio State people watching."
"I’m very impressed with our guys, the way they handle themselves and what they say," Meyer added. "You can’t control Virginia but you can control what goes on here within the family."
Defensive line coach Larry Johnson also said it’s nothing new for Ohio State’s coaches to talk with their players about what’s going on in the world outside of football, as he says those are conversations he has with his players every day.
"Every day we get nuggets from Coach Meyer, they get nuggets from me and it’s about life, it’s not about football," Johnson said. "We’ll spend 20 minutes before we talk about football, just talking about what’s going on in today’s world. Just how to be a young man. And I think those factors are important, for them to grow not just as football players, but to grow young men from the inside out."
“You can’t really control what’s going on out there. But you can be a shining light.”– Urban Meyer
