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Urban Meyer opens up about severe headaches, future with Ohio State
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With all of the speculation surrounding Urban Meyer and his future in Columbus recently, the Ohio State head coach decided to clear the air on his medical situation and his commitment to the program.
Meyer summoned reporters from Cleveland.com, The Columbus Dispatch and Letterman Row to open up about the headaches he’s endured, something he’s been battling for 20 years.
The headaches are caused by an enlarged arachnoid cyst in his brain. In 2014, Meyer underwent surgery when the issue became more severe. The Ohio State head coach said he was first diagnosed in 1998.
“I am fully committed to Ohio State, the football program, as long as I can,” Meyer told reporters.
“It is a medical issue. We’re just managing through it. We’re working hard.” Meyer also said that he takes medicine for the headaches.
Meyer’s health became a topic during Ohio State’s game against Indiana, when he was seen taking a knee on the sideline. At first, it was reported that the head coach collided with a fellow staff member. After the game, Meyer said it was an intense headache that he was suffering from.
From The Dispatch:
“The past four years we’ve been working closely with coach Meyer to monitor and manage the symptoms that have risen from his enlarged congenital arachnoid cyst,” Thomas said. “This includes aggressive headaches, which have particularly flared up the past two years.”
Meyer said so far the pain has been manageable, and he has kept OSU athletic director Gene Smith apprised of his condition.
“He and I have talked about his health,” Smith told The Dispatch on Tuesday from Grapevine, Texas, where he was meeting with the other members of the College Football Playoff selection committee. “He’s shared with me that he wants to continue coaching.
“He has a management plan for what he’s dealing with. I think he’s done exceptionally well with it. I go by his lead 100 percent. We have unbelievable medical support at the university. So I don’t have the concerns everyone else seems to be raising.”
Ohio State is 7-1 on the season and 4-1 in B1G play. Meyer’s health has been a major conversation piece recently. SEC Network host Paul Finebaum said he’s heard “whispers” that Meyer will leave Columbus at the end of the year.
Another college football analyst, Kirk Herbstreit, said that Meyer looked anguished and erratic on the sideline. The head coach has said he plans to be back with the Buckeyes in 2019.
For more on Meyer and the medical situation he’s battling, you can visit The Dispatch website.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB