Urban Meyer apologizes to Courtney Smith in Twitter statement
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer has finally done what he should have done days ago.
Meyer was suspended for three games for his role in mishandling the allegations of domestic abuse against former wide receivers coach Zach Smith.
In a press conference on August 22nd, Meyer read a statement taking responsibility for what happened under his watch and accepting the punishment levied against him by OSU President Michael V. Drake, but his statements were far from satisfactory on a few different levels.
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Sure, he was reading, but he did seem uninterested and almost dragged into the moment. Accepting a punishment is never easy, but simply reading off a statement that somebody else likely wrote for you did not come across as sincere in any shape or form.
Even worse, Meyer didn’t even acknowledge Smith’s ex-wife, Courtney Smith, who was the alleged victim of the abuse. That was easily his greatest misstep, and it led to plenty of backlash.
Enough backlash that the suspended head coach felt he had to go on Twitter to release another response, which he did early Friday evening — two days after the press conference.
“My words and demeanor on Wednesday did not show how seriously I take relationship violence. I sincerely apologize,” Meyer wrote. “I was taught at a very young age that if I ever hit a woman, I would be kicked out of the house and never welcomed back. I have the same rule in my house and in the Football Program at Ohio State. Over the years, we have worked hard to educate and remind our coaches and players of the seriousness of relationship violence.”
Meyer went on to acknowledge that because of his position and stature both in the world of sports but especially in the college world, where sexual assault is all to common, he needs to do better. He needs to do better with his platform.
“I understand my lack of more action in this situation has raised concerns about this commitment,” Meyer said in the statement Friday. “I once again apologize for this, and I extend my empathy to all women, men and families who are affected by relationship violence. This has been a real learning experience for me. I fully intend to use my voice more effectively to be a part of the solution.”
The OSU head coach also finally apologized to Smith.
“Let me say here and now what I should have said on Wednesday: I sincerely apologize to Courtney Smith and her children for what they have gone through,” Meyer said Friday.
— Urban Meyer (@CoachUrbanMeyer) August 24, 2018
For some this may be too little to late from Meyer, but it does appear to be a step in the right direction.
He’ll have plenty of time to think about that direction over the next few weeks. Ohio State suspended Meyer — without pay — for three games. He’ll be unable to interact with his team until September 2nd, but he will not be able to coach until OSU’s week four matchup with Tulane.