The uncertainty that has loomed over Urban Meyer’s future as Ohio State’s head football coach for the past three weeks could come to an end on Wednesday.
Ohio State’s Board of Trustees is meeting at 9 a.m. Wednesday to "discuss personnel matters related to the investigation involving Urban Meyer," which presumably means a decision on Meyer’s future – or at least, a recommendation to university president Michael Drake, who holds the final say in the matter, on what that decision should be – will be made.
At this point, it hasn’t been confirmed whether a decision will be announced by the end of the day, or whether Drake and the university will wait until Thursday or Friday to make an announcement. Wednesday morning’s meeting, though, could provide insight into what Ohio State found in its investigation – which was launched to examine what Meyer knew about and how he handled domestic violence allegations made against former wide receivers coach Zach Smith – and ultimately determine whether Meyer will be immediately reinstated as coach, forced to serve a suspension or lose his job altogether.
In accordance with the Ohio Open Meetings Act, Wednesday’s meeting at the Longaberger Alumni House (2200 Olentangy River Road) will be open to the public. However, “the entirety of the personnel matters discussion” will be held in executive session, which means that the majority of the meeting – which has no defined end time – will likely take place behind closed doors.
Nonetheless, Eleven Warriors will be on the scene to provide live updates (follow me on Twitter) and report on any information that is revealed during the public portion of the meeting.
Ohio State also confirmed to ESPN’s Dan Murphy on Tuesday that although the Board of Trustees met with the investigative team in an informational briefing behind closed doors on Monday, the university will “share a written report and the public records the investigative group used in its review when a decision is made, or perhaps even before the final decision comes.”
So even if all of the relevant discussion in Wednesday morning’s meeting takes place in executive session, those public records could shed light on what Ohio State found in its investigation and why Drake and the university ultimately make the decision they do.
Going into Wednesday’s meeting, here’s what we know: Meyer, as well as Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, both met with investigators multiple times over the past two weeks, as reported Tuesday by The Columbus Dispatch. Zach Smith, as well as his ex-wife Courtney Smith – who made the domestic violence allegations against him – both met with investigators last week, according to statements from their attorneys.
Meyer, in his only public statement since being placed on paid administrative leave on Aug. 1, said he has “always followed proper reporting protocols and procedures” when he has learned of incidents involving Ohio State football players, coaches or staff members. Zach Smith, who has maintained that he “never committed domestic abuse,” said in an interview with ESPN on Aug. 3 that Meyer told Zach he would be fired if Meyer ever found out that Zach did hit his ex-wife.
We don’t know, however, what all Ohio State found in its investigation, or how broad the scope of that investigation ultimately became. While it’s presumable that Ohio State looked into everything that was reported publicly about the situation over the last three weeks, investigators have likely also gathered additional information that has not yet been made public – and that information could either help or hurt Meyer’s case.
Beyond that, we don’t know exactly what all will factor into Drake’s decision. If Meyer did, in fact, always follow proper reporting protocols and procedures, will that lead to an unconditional reinstatement? Or could Meyer still lose his job, or be suspended for a number of games, if the university determines he should have handled the situation better even if he did what he was required to do?
It’s also uncertain at this point whether the personnel matters discussed at Wednesday’s meeting will be exclusive to Meyer’s future, or whether the jobs of Gene Smith or any other Ohio State employees could also be on the line. Ohio State has only described its probe as an “investigation involving Urban Meyer,” but if anyone else was implicated for failing to act appropriately over the course of the investigation, it’s certainly possible that other personnel actions could be considered.
All of those questions, though, could start to be answered tomorrow – and if not, they should be answered by the end of the week.
Eleven Warriors will be covering every development as it unfolds, so stay tuned as we find out what Ohio State decides and how the football program will proceed forward – with or without Meyer – from here.
