As I've said a couple of times in the past week, information on this is tough to come by. Everyone is in their bunker right now and things are not trickling down. The team is being very isolated from everything else that is going on right now.
I have a few things that I would categorize as more of a report and a few things I would categorize more as commentary (there seems to be a deep, deep misunderstanding of the difference between these two things as I've noticed this week).
Will start with the report part:
- Again, not a ton of info to be gathered right now as things are mostly on lock down. The very little I've been able to pick up is that Meyer is definitely on the offensive here. I believe the narrative that exists out there in the national media, and perhaps even from some local outlets, that some of the things we've seen from Meyer recently is more centered around securing the maximum buyout amount possible, is DEEPLY misinformed.
Now that is not to say that on Ohio State's end they aren't trying to protect themselves and making sure their bases are all covered. Ohio State is always going to try and protect itself in these situations and to make sure they'd be able to fire with cause if it ever comes to that.
But on Meyer's end? Hell no. He is not going to accept defeat from everything I've been told and all steps that have been taken are absolutely with the mindset keeping his job and not only keeping his job but doing so without suspension, and absolutely NOT to negotiate the best buyout package.
- Building off my last paragraph. When this stuff first started really picking up steam, as in the days leading up to Meyer's paid leave, there was a decent amount of smoke about Meyer serving a suspension. I'm told that was not met with enthusiasm at all from Meyer's camp. They don't feel they've done anything wrong here. I'm told they absolutely feel they fulfilled their obligation in reporting and that a suspension would serve as an admission of wrong doing.
While I still think a suspension is an outcome that is at least on the table, that is a scenario that seems to have lost some steam in the last couple of days to the point where even on OSU's end, they might be coming around on the idea that he either needs to stay without punishment because he handled the situation properly or he needs to be let go because he did not handle the situation properly.
My information, note this is not my personal feelings but the actual information I have, at this point would still lead me to believe that he is more likely than not to remain the head football coach at Ohio State.
Commentary:
- We need to hear from Gene Smith. The Friday interviews of Zach Smith and the statement from Urban Meyer were definite game changers. I would A. really like to hear Gene Smith's take on this and if he will back up Meyer and Smith's accounts of this and B. would really like to know if this was truly a coordinated thing with full university backing. My very first reaction on Friday was that this was Meyer going on the offensive on his own. Gene needs to speak in the next 48 hours in my opinion.
- Have to wonder what more, if anything, Brett McMurphy has here. I tend to think he has played his best cards by now, but you never know for sure. There is no question he is taking this personally and it's fair to wonder how that has and will continue to impact his reporting here.
- Tomorrow's rally is a terrible idea. It will be viewed as insensitive to the issue of domestic violence. It will be viewed as validation that Ohio State fans care far more about the football program and winning games than serious issues like domestic violence. The national media will compare the rally to those held at Penn State and Baylor.
The TV crews will flock to the least stable individuals at the rally and will be soaking up all of the insanity and sound bites of these weirdos for the world to consume. It will throw gas on the fire and it will keep this situation very much at the forefront of the sports news cycle.
So those are the bad things about having such a rally. What about the positives?
There are none. None. There is no turnout tomorrow that is going to change Urban Meyer's fate for the better. These things don't save coaches' jobs, they make fan bases look tone deaf, they validate negative stereotypes, and they keep their situations in the news even longer during a time when staying out of the headlines would be a very positive thing for Meyer's future.
- All of that said, again, I think Meyer remains head coach unless something very damaging comes out this week. I think it started off slightly leaning that way and has in the last few days gradually moved further toward Meyer being retained. But as I said when this first came out, you never quite know when you've heard the worst on these situations.
If Meyer pressured Courtney Smith into not taking legal action in 2015 or if he tried to get involved in a police investigation, then he's got to go. So far there is no evidence of anything like that happening and in light of all of the current evidence that is out there, I believe he will and should keep his job.
I have a few things that I would categorize as more of a report and a few things I would categorize more as commentary (there seems to be a deep, deep misunderstanding of the difference between these two things as I've noticed this week).
Will start with the report part:
- Again, not a ton of info to be gathered right now as things are mostly on lock down. The very little I've been able to pick up is that Meyer is definitely on the offensive here. I believe the narrative that exists out there in the national media, and perhaps even from some local outlets, that some of the things we've seen from Meyer recently is more centered around securing the maximum buyout amount possible, is DEEPLY misinformed.
Now that is not to say that on Ohio State's end they aren't trying to protect themselves and making sure their bases are all covered. Ohio State is always going to try and protect itself in these situations and to make sure they'd be able to fire with cause if it ever comes to that.
But on Meyer's end? Hell no. He is not going to accept defeat from everything I've been told and all steps that have been taken are absolutely with the mindset keeping his job and not only keeping his job but doing so without suspension, and absolutely NOT to negotiate the best buyout package.
- Building off my last paragraph. When this stuff first started really picking up steam, as in the days leading up to Meyer's paid leave, there was a decent amount of smoke about Meyer serving a suspension. I'm told that was not met with enthusiasm at all from Meyer's camp. They don't feel they've done anything wrong here. I'm told they absolutely feel they fulfilled their obligation in reporting and that a suspension would serve as an admission of wrong doing.
While I still think a suspension is an outcome that is at least on the table, that is a scenario that seems to have lost some steam in the last couple of days to the point where even on OSU's end, they might be coming around on the idea that he either needs to stay without punishment because he handled the situation properly or he needs to be let go because he did not handle the situation properly.
My information, note this is not my personal feelings but the actual information I have, at this point would still lead me to believe that he is more likely than not to remain the head football coach at Ohio State.
Commentary:
- We need to hear from Gene Smith. The Friday interviews of Zach Smith and the statement from Urban Meyer were definite game changers. I would A. really like to hear Gene Smith's take on this and if he will back up Meyer and Smith's accounts of this and B. would really like to know if this was truly a coordinated thing with full university backing. My very first reaction on Friday was that this was Meyer going on the offensive on his own. Gene needs to speak in the next 48 hours in my opinion.
- Have to wonder what more, if anything, Brett McMurphy has here. I tend to think he has played his best cards by now, but you never know for sure. There is no question he is taking this personally and it's fair to wonder how that has and will continue to impact his reporting here.
- Tomorrow's rally is a terrible idea. It will be viewed as insensitive to the issue of domestic violence. It will be viewed as validation that Ohio State fans care far more about the football program and winning games than serious issues like domestic violence. The national media will compare the rally to those held at Penn State and Baylor.
The TV crews will flock to the least stable individuals at the rally and will be soaking up all of the insanity and sound bites of these weirdos for the world to consume. It will throw gas on the fire and it will keep this situation very much at the forefront of the sports news cycle.
So those are the bad things about having such a rally. What about the positives?
There are none. None. There is no turnout tomorrow that is going to change Urban Meyer's fate for the better. These things don't save coaches' jobs, they make fan bases look tone deaf, they validate negative stereotypes, and they keep their situations in the news even longer during a time when staying out of the headlines would be a very positive thing for Meyer's future.
- All of that said, again, I think Meyer remains head coach unless something very damaging comes out this week. I think it started off slightly leaning that way and has in the last few days gradually moved further toward Meyer being retained. But as I said when this first came out, you never quite know when you've heard the worst on these situations.
If Meyer pressured Courtney Smith into not taking legal action in 2015 or if he tried to get involved in a police investigation, then he's got to go. So far there is no evidence of anything like that happening and in light of all of the current evidence that is out there, I believe he will and should keep his job.
