As he officially returns from his three-game suspension and begins the week of preparation for Ohio State's fourth game of the season against Tulane, Urban Meyer released a statement via Twitter on Monday morning, in which he said he is "working to make sure I do a better job every day as a leader" and thanked Ryan Day, the rest of Ohio State's coaching staff and the Buckeyes' players for leading the team to a 3-0 start to the season.
— Urban Meyer (@OSUCoachMeyer) September 17, 2018
"With respect to Zach Smith and the events that led to his termination, it's clear I could have done a better job," Meyer said in his statement. "I should have done a better job, and I'll always regret that I didn't. My time away from the program in August gave me a chance to reflect and it gave me a chance to learn a great deal from these events.
"I want to be clear: I do not – never have and never will – condone domestic abuse."
Meyer was suspended for Ohio State's first three games against Oregon State, Rutgers and TCU because he "failed to take sufficient management action" regarding domestic violence allegations against and other misconduct by former wide receivers coach Zach Smith.
Now, though, Meyer is back with the team in a full capacity and will be back on the sidelines when the Buckeyes host Tulane at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
Meyer is set to meet with the media at 11:45 a.m. in his first post-suspension press conference on Monday morning. The second portion of Meyer's one-on-one interview with Tom Rinaldi also aired Monday on ESPN.
