Columbus is temporarily Ryan Day's kingdom, and he rest assured, he will protect the throne.
ICYMI:
- Ohio State's investigation proves Urban Meyer made mistakes in employing Zach Smith.
- National pundits Weigh in on Ohio State's suspension of Urban Meyer.
- Gene Smith's attorney speaks: “Two great men fell on the sword for a university they dearly loved”
- Ohio State commits weigh in on Urban Meyer’s suspension and reinstatement.
- Ohio State's Big Ten and national title odds improve following Urban Meyer's suspension.
Word of the Day: Cynosure.
TEXAS TOMFOOLERY. There have been at least 17 times these past few weeks I've wished everything – the rumors, the drama, the Facebook columns and the investigation – would just end. But every time Tom Herman's name shows up in any capacity, you can mark me down as downright fascinated.
And folks, whether you realized it or not, Texas Tom made an appearance in the investigative committee's key findings under the alias "another OSU football coach."
From the report:
In May 2014, in connection with an out-of-town recruiting trip to Florida, Zach Smith ran up a significant bill at a local strip club along with another OSU football coach and one or more high school coaches.
according to an iPhone screen-capture of a checking account statement dated May 8, 2014, Zach Smith spent approximately $600 of his personal funds at a Miami strip club on May 8, 2014
Brian Voltolini was aware of the strip club visit during a Florida recruiting trip and that a high school coach or coaches were present.
Yes, Tom Herman was the other Buckeye coach exchanging United State's currency for a gander at disrobed women at a strip club in Miami, as evidenced by he and Zach Smith sharing the same newspaper article at the same time from the same location in South Florida.
What does this mean? Well, probably that like Zach Smith, Tom Herman enjoys looking at naked women. Beyond that, not a whole lot, besides loosely connecting Herman to the investigation in addition to the report that he was Brett McMurphy's tipster.
I can't explain why, but from the second I watched Herman's press conference where he addressed the Urban Meyer situation, I just felt that something was off. So maybe that's why I'm so interested in these stories.
Without having any evidence to back this up other than Snook's report and his double down, I just get a vibe Herman is much more involved in all of this than he's letting on or will ever admit.
A PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN. The Ohio State Board of Trustees members have been understandably silent about the whole situation for the past few weeks, but now with the investigation wrapped up, there's no reason to be.
Trustee Cheryl Krueger spoke to ABC 6 to give some insights into Wednesday's 12-hour deliberations.
Krueger revealed that Urban Meyer was never involved with the deliberations, there was no standoff between president Michael Drake and the rest of the board, nobody on the board ever considered terminating Meyer, and that Meyer never lied.
She's also unconcerned with national backlash regarding the decision.
From ABC6OnYourSide.com:
Krueger stands behind what the three game suspension of Coach Meyer and says the national media doesn't have all the facts that the board was privy to.
"It's easy for them to take potshots at a top ranked program, " Krueger said.
"They didn't get to discuss the report with the people who issued the report. And they didn't get to talk to the witnesses. We had more information than they had. And i think if they sat in the room, they probably would have reached the same conclusion, but that doesn't sell newspapers or evoke ratings, "
From the sound of things, the board was comfortable and confident in their decision, even if it did take a 12-hour meeting to get there.
ZACH SMITH QUESTION'S INVESTIGATION. Now that the investigation is over and the finding's revealed, Zach Smith is taking it upon himself to question the methodology of the entire investigation – which included over 40 witnesses, 60,000 emails and 10,000 text messages – based on his experience during his single interview.
Cant wait 2 disclose the 2.5 hr investigative interview I gave 2 the people OSU employed 2 find out if Cch Meyer / Gene Smith did anything wrong... Questions were bizarre & VERY clear they werent investigating ANYTHING they were supposed to be... Investigating media backlash.
— Zach Smith (@CoachZachSmith) August 24, 2018
Maybe you should pump the brakes on the Twitter #takes when your loose-cannon coaching career and unscrupulous off-field life is a key reason why the investigation was ordered in the first place.
But hey, you do you. I'm just not sure this does much to help the situation.
GENE SMITH TO STAY ON CFP COMMITTEE. One thing I didn't even think about as this entire investigation unfolded was Gene Smith's status on the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.
Thankfully, other people did, and asked the hard questions for me.
College Football Playoff's Bill Hancock tells @TheAthleticCFB that the Ohio State suspension "does not affect Gene Smiths status on the selection committee."
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) August 23, 2018
MAURICE CLARETT GIVES A SCHOLLY. I will never not watch a video of a walk-on finding out they're on scholarship, but this one is especially great, because former Buckeye running back Maurice Clarett got to give him the news.
Want to see how @TheyLoveMyHair_ found out from former Ohio St. standout @ReeseClarett13 he was on scholarship?
— Austin Peay Football (@AustinPeayFB) August 23, 2018
Check it out pic.twitter.com/rh4J72Ns62
I love the blank, plain look on his face right before Maurice tells him the news. It almost looks like he thinks he's bracing to get called out for something.
THOSE WMDs. Snoop Dogg to publish cookbook, From Crook to Cook... How Alberta has no rats: a history of rat control in the Canadian province... Is baby poop the next miracle drug?... Would-be Reagan assassin John Hinckley Jr. to get psychological exam in bid for unconditional release... Could Jaws hold the key to an unsolved murder case?...
