Zach Smith says he failed to tell Urban Meyer about 2013 arrest
Ex-Ohio State assistant coach Zach Smith says he failed to tell Urban Meyer about a drunk driving incident which led to an arrest in 2013, according to a report from ESPN’s Dan Murphy.
On Monday, it was revealed by Kyle Rowland of the Toledo Blade that Smith was arrested in 2013 on an OVI charge. He refused to take a breathalyzer and had eyes that “appeared red and glassy.”
The arrest went unreported and Smith had no repercussions from Ohio State.
Later Monday, Murphy reported that Smith didn’t tell Meyer about the 2013 arrest, which is why the incident went unreported.
Zach Smith says he kept Urban Meyer in the dark after 2013 arrest for drunken driving. https://t.co/9K26KnXODU
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— Dan Murphy (@DanMurphyESPN) August 13, 2018
“I handled it on my own without involving OSU,” Smith said, according to Murphy.
Following the arrest, Smith pleaded guilty to a charge of physical control, a first-degree misdemeanor. He had a suspended license and had to complete 72 hours of driver-intervention courses.
According to Eleven Warriors, Ohio State has a mandatory disclosure policy for convictions of staff, faculty, graduate assistants and employees.
Ohio State has a mandatory disclosure policy for convictions of faculty, staff, graduate associates, employees, etc. pic.twitter.com/4w1t19DqGr
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) August 13, 2018
The report of Smith’s 2013 arrest surfaces at a time when Meyer is being investigated by the university for possibly knowing about Smith’s domestic violence incidents in 2009 and 2015.
Also on Monday, Courtney Smith met with the independent working team handling the Meyer investigation at Ohio State.
The investigation into Meyer is expected to conclude this week.