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Paul Finebaum says Urban Meyer’s credibility is ‘shattered’ outside of Columbus
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Urban Meyer agreed to go on record. For the first time since being handed a three-game suspension following Ohio State’s investigation, the Buckeyes spoke publicly about his knowledge of Zach Smith’s checkered past and how he mishandled the alleged domestic violence incidents.
While Meyer didn’t go into great detail about anything, he did apologize for not handling things better and the perception that he doesn’t care about Courtney Smith and the domestic violence she endured. He explained all of that in an interview with ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi.
Following the interview on ESPN, Paul Finebaum was asked for his thoughts on exclusive conversation with Meyer. And it’s quite clear that the SEC Network host still isn’t buying much of what the Ohio State coach is saying.
“I think his credibility outside of the bubble of Columbus, Ohio is still shattered,” Finebaum said on SportsCenter. “I don’t think many people around the country buy or believe much of what he has said. Having said that, I do know college football fans. He has possibly the second-best team in the country. Once he gets out there, the majority of fans will push all of this away and start wondering ‘is this team good enough to challenge Alabama?’ I know this sounds basic, if you’re concerned about Courtney Smith, which I am and a lot of people are, this may nauseate to a certain level. But that’s the business and nature of college football.
Meyer will return to the sideline for the Buckeyes next Saturday in a non-conference game against Tulane. Ohio State played the first three games without their head coach.
Meyer did return to practice after a Week 1 win over Oregon State.
Finebaum also believes that Meyer took part in the exclusive interview and seemed a little more concerned about the situation as a cover to return to coaching his team. Finebaum believes that’s especially true with Ohio State having so much talent.
“It’s a little hard to take him at face value. Urban Meyer is a very smart football coach. He knows what people are saying. He’s had three-to-six weeks at home to figure all of this out. I think he’s just giving the answers that he has to give. I know that sounds very basic, but that’s what he’s doing. He’s trying to survive this to get back to what he really wants to do. That’s coach football.”
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