Urban Meyer suspended first 3 games

[Coelenterate Fuccboi 13120]

39 minutes ago, alincoln said:

The great irony of this thread is that Smith turned a position at Texas down when offered to him by Herman who was well aware of his relationship issues.

The same Herman who hired Casey Horny.

 

I’m sure that sounds believable in the echo chamber you call your head.

[mr.goodkat 464]

43 minutes ago, alincoln said:

The great irony of this thread is that Smith turned a position at Texas down when offered to him by Herman who was well aware of his relationship issues.

The same Herman who hired Casey Horny.

 

link please 

 

[texaslong 678]

52 minutes ago, alincoln said:

The great irony of this thread is that Smith turned a position at Texas down when offered to him by Herman who was well aware of his relationship issues.

The same Herman who hired Casey Horny.

 

This misinformation campaign needs to stop Urban. Shouldn't you be enjoying your time off?

[kopp0e 1135]

1 hour ago, Treefidy said:

It's more than that, it's a shitbag coach who employs shitbag coaches.

Smith--wife abuser, drunk

schiano--allegedly knew about stuff at pedo

wilson-- fired for abusing players

Durkin--about to be fired for player death

tim beckman-- fired for player abuse

anderson-- left Wisconsin because they had "too high an academic standard for athletes; quit mid season at OreSU

 Withers--involved with butch davis scandal at UNC

mike Stanford--just a shitty coach and OC who was fired by strong at Louisville and replaced with Watson.  Any coach replaced by Watson deserves to be on this list  

thats almost half Meyers HC tree with some degree of douchiness.   The assistant branches likely include many more gems.  

 

 

 

The B1G should have just named the divisions Legends & Lawsuits...

[kopp0e 1135]

FInebaum talks to USA Today on Meyer:

Quote

Paul Finebaum on Urban Meyer's job security

USA TODAY-1 hour ago

Weeks later, though, Finebaum believes that Meyer is "pretty close" to being safe at ... Dan Patrick: "Is Urban Meyer in the clear at Ohio State?".

 

[Surlybastard 65]

1 hour ago, Treefidy said:

It's more than that, it's a shitbag coach who employs shitbag coaches.

Smith--wife abuser, drunk

schiano--allegedly knew about stuff at pedo

wilson-- fired for abusing players

Durkin--about to be fired for player death

tim beckman-- fired for player abuse

anderson-- left Wisconsin because they had "too high an academic standard for athletes; quit mid season at OreSU

 Withers--involved with butch davis scandal at UNC

mike Stanford--just a shitty coach and OC who was fired by strong at Louisville and replaced with Watson.  Any coach replaced by Watson deserves to be on this list  

thats almost half Meyers HC tree with some degree of douchiness.   The assistant branches likely include many more gems.  

 

 

 

While all of that may be true only the stuff that happened on Meyer's watch at tosu is really relevant to whatever punishment he should get for the current coach incident or w/e we want to call it. I mean the other stuff doesn't make Meyer look good obviously but its not going to be part of the overall picture that gets drawn up by the investigative team looking into it for the university.

[wild_turkey 3185]

The possibility of a suspension is starting to make less sense. It would be admitting that he did something wrong. As I see it, the potential crimes here are:

 

1) Failing to report allegations against ZS

2) Reporting appropriately but keeping a known abuser on staff

3) Lying to the media but everything else checks out

 

I personally believe he is guilty of all 3, but I believe the committee will dig up some sort of paper trail to avoid #1 and completely ignore the problem with #2. If I’m wrong about the result here and they do nail him for one of these, then it seems like firing is the only appropriate outcome.

 

Most likely though, that leaves at most #3, which Urban has already admitted. However, is tOSU going to have a committee to investigate domestic violence within its program and then have the ultimate conclusion be that their coach lied to the media? It would be laughable to clear him on the other accusations and then give him a measly suspension for this. May as well just tell everyone to fuck off and skip the suspension.

 

Cam Newton never missed a game, Manziel was suspended for one half, Mixon played his entire final season, and Paterno still has his wins and a statue. There’s no justice in college football.

 

[kopp0e 1135]

This guy is roasting about half of the B1G east division:

 

[Neonmoon 38130]

“Rumors” of a suspension are not rumors but purposely leaked to soften everyone up to the idea. So when just a suspension is announced, people have already gotten used to the idea, and the pitchforks will be less severe. 

Crisis Management 101. Shape the narrative 

[UcancallmeSurly 451]

2 hours ago, Treefidy said:

It's more than that, it's a shitbag coach who employs shitbag coaches.

Smith--wife abuser, drunk

schiano--allegedly knew about stuff at pedo

wilson-- fired for abusing players

Durkin--about to be fired for player death

tim beckman-- fired for player abuse

anderson-- left Wisconsin because they had "too high an academic standard for athletes; quit mid season at OreSU

 Withers--involved with butch davis scandal at UNC

mike Stanford--just a shitty coach and OC who was fired by strong at Louisville and replaced with Watson.  Any coach replaced by Watson deserves to be on this list  

thats almost half Meyers HC tree with some degree of douchiness.   The assistant branches likely include many more gems.  

 

 

 

tim beck -  fired for playbook abuse

Edited August 16, 2018 by UcancallmeSurly

[Shaggy3.0 1695]

So what did fat ass herbie say about all this?

[Michael Knight 12995]

22 minutes ago, Shaggy3.0 said:

So what did fat ass herbie say about all this?
 

He called it a cesspool

[Gatorubet 30323]

1) What did Urban know, and when did he report it to the folks he was obligated to report it to?
2) If he did report it timely, did he report all of what he knew at that first report?
3) Other than Urban saying that he complied, does anyone else at OSU vouch for his full compliance?

Unless we know the answers to all of those question, I suggest that Buckeye fans should still be..

 

 

Edited August 16, 2018 by Gatorubet

[GabrielsHorn 2186]

3 hours ago, alincoln said:

The great irony of this thread is that Smith turned a position at Texas down when offered to him by Herman who was well aware of his relationship issues.

The same Herman who hired Casey Horny.

 

Wrong WR coach, moron.

https://247sports.com/college/texas/Bolt/Bryan-Carrington-burns-Ohio-State-Buckeyes-coach-You-wanted-to-be-at-Texas-Longhorns-recruiting--116635447/

[rungeflash 322]

3 hours ago, alincoln said:

The great irony of this thread is that Smith turned a position at Texas down when offered to him by Herman who was well aware of his relationship issues.

The same Herman who hired Casey Horny.

 

eat a bag of dicks

 

 

[LTtxfan 49374]

Won't be popular, but Urban staying at tOSU probably happens after 2-4 Games of Suspension.....Might be best for Herman for story on Zach Smith to die now....

Funny how Austin may take over the Columbus, OH Soccer Team..... and folks in Columbus think HERMANATOR is the Tipster on Urban mess..... 

Folks in Austin, not popular in Ohio

Edited August 16, 2018 by LTtxfan

[Beau Vine 54466]

I hate to break it to you, but most folks in Columbus probably don't realize that they have a soccer team that might be taken over by Austin.  

[ernest_t_bass 1196]

I was just at Crew stadium a couple weeks ago.  Really nice.  Shame to see them head to Austin.  Wonder what they'll use the stadium for.

[pops 7007]

Fuck Urban, but where were the police in all this?  They really look the other way if they think she's getting the shit beat out of her?  There is usually a pretty strong contingent of "fuck these entitled cunts" on the police force/district attorney's offices in college towns. 

Obviously if she were too scared to cooperate it makes it tough, but I just don't want to believe there could be that many people that saw this and they all just said dot the i. 

[Valmy77 13273]

5 hours ago, alincoln said:

The great irony of this thread is that Smith turned a position at Texas down when offered to him by Herman who was well aware of his relationship issues.

The same Herman who hired Casey Horny.

 

I don't get the irony. But then I am confused by your assertion as fact two things that are completely untrue. So maybe this is some kind of performance art in post-truth news.

Though Herman did hire Casey Horny, I think. Not sure what that has to do with anything.

[texaslong 678]

30 minutes ago, pops said:

Fuck Urban, but where were the police in all this?  They really look the other way if they think she's getting the shit beat out of her?  There is usually a pretty strong contingent of "fuck these entitled cunts" on the police force/district attorney's offices in college towns. 

Obviously if she were too scared to cooperate it makes it tough, but I just don't want to believe there could be that many people that saw this and they all just said dot the i. 

You're avatar...lmao

[atomheartbevo 89831]

4 hours ago, Neonmoon said:

“Rumors” of a suspension are not rumors but purposely leaked to soften everyone up to the idea. So when just a suspension is announced, people have already gotten used to the idea, and the pitchforks will be less severe. 

Crisis Management 101. Shape the narrative 

Yep.  He's not getting fired, just suspended.

[Hagbard Celine 10936]

6 hours ago, alincoln said:

The great irony of this thread is that Smith turned a position at Texas down when offered to him by Herman who was well aware of his relationship issues.

The same Herman who hired Casey Horny.

psa - don't know if there is a link to this but i gave a posrep because alincoln is good people, intelligent, and informed, and has been a member of this community for a long time, and he should not be crowdsourced for this comment.  i doubt he would make this up.

[Hagbard Celine 10936]

3 hours ago, GabrielsHorn said:

Wrong WR coach, moron.

https://247sports.com/college/texas/Bolt/Bryan-Carrington-burns-Ohio-State-Buckeyes-coach-You-wanted-to-be-at-Texas-Longhorns-recruiting--116635447/

okay, he messed up and made a mistake.  alincoln is not a moron..  any soccer fan on this site knows this.

[Hagbard Celine 10936]

2 hours ago, ernest_t_bass said:

I was just at Crew stadium a couple weeks ago.  Really nice.  Shame to see them head to Austin.  Wonder what they'll use the stadium for.

nats losses to mexico (ducks)

[kopp0e 1135]

8 hours ago, UcancallmeSurly said:

I believe the industry nomenclature is “cesspool”.

You are correct..!  (in Jeopardy terms it is known as: "what is a cesspool"), keyword what, as in that entire division...

[UcancallmeSurly 451]

51 minutes ago, Hagbard Celine said:

okay, he messed up and made a mistake.  alincoln is not a moron..  any soccer fan on this site knows this.

I’ll need an endorsement from the Dungeons and Dragons crowd or Communist party before I feel cozy.

[Parliament 14336]

https://969thegame.iheart.com/featured/open-mike/content/2018-08-15-podcast-the-ohio-state-side-of-the-story-w-authorreporter-jeff-snook/

So I guess Snook continues to insist Herman was the source.  It matters not, but I know you people wanna know. 

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

10 hours ago, Valmy77 said:

Though Herman did hire Casey Horny, I think. Not sure what that has to do with anything.

It actually has some marginal significance. Herman has not played "holier than thou" on this deal, but if he did, Horny would be a sticky point.

I am sorry we weren't more effective (though, really, who expected us to be?) but those of us who objected to Horny's hiring give some hope that equivalent bullshit would not be accepted here. So there's that, at least.

[Zavala 1384]

2 hours ago, Parliament said:

https://969thegame.iheart.com/featured/open-mike/content/2018-08-15-podcast-the-ohio-state-side-of-the-story-w-authorreporter-jeff-snook/

So I guess Snook continues to insist Herman was the source.  It matters not, but I know you people wanna know. 

[SydneyCarton 48203]

20 minutes ago, Walden Ponderer said:

It actually has some marginal significance. Herman has not played "holier than thou" on this deal, but if he did, Horny would be a sticky point.

I am sorry we weren't more effective (though, really, who expected us to be?) but those of us who objected to Horny's hiring give some hope that equivalent bullshit would not be accepted here. So there's that, at least.

The amount of people that did show up to insist the guy deserved another chance simply on the shaggy thread alone doesn't make me completely optimistic the voice would be loud enough to matter. There's more people with loose, billowy assholes and a legion of horrible personal life choices out there to project that everyone deserves unlimited second chances than most people want to admit. 

[Tex Pete 20514]

19 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

The amount of people that did show up to insist the guy deserved another chance simply on the shaggy thread alone doesn't make me completely optimistic the voice would be loud enough to matter. There's more people with loose, billowy assholes and a legion of horrible personal life choices out there to project that everyone deserves unlimited second chances than most people want to admit. 

Meh. I didn’t think the Horny thing was a big deal because he wasn’t specifically accused of anything at Baylor. It wasn’t ideal to hire anyone who had been there, but it wasn’t a nod to a rape culture, IMO. But I would have been there with a torch or a pitchfork if he had been accused of being directly involved in the Baylor situation or coverup and we hired him anyway. I suspect most people here would have been.

We don’t sit blindly by while coaches do whatever they want here. Our staff is scrutinized by alumni and fans as heavily as any in the country. 

[SydneyCarton 48203]

47 minutes ago, Tex Pete said:

Meh. I didn’t think the Horny thing was a big deal because he wasn’t specifically accused of anything at Baylor. It wasn’t ideal to hire anyone who had been there, but it wasn’t a nod to a rape culture, IMO. But I would have been there with a torch or a pitchfork if he had been accused of being directly involved in the Baylor situation or coverup and we hired him anyway. I suspect most people here would have been.

We don’t sit blindly by while coaches do whatever they want here. Our staff is scrutinized by alumni and fans as heavily as any in the country. 

Sorry man, flat out disagree with that 100%. Horny was there for like what, 8 years, in that office? We don't sit here and get to casually but with certainty talk about how of course Urban Meyer knew, everyone knew etc, but then roll the plausible deniability wagon on of the garage for Casey Horny and by his hiring Tom Herman. There's a difference between a hiring being a "nod" to rape culture and hiring someone you're pretty certain has a sketchy history and a fuck ton of bad optics. Just don't do it. 

We may sit here as fans saying we don't sit by blindly while coaches do x, y, and z, but honestly, man, we don't fucking know. Urban Meyer was a morally sketchy guy for years now, but until now plenty of people were still pissed Mack Brown stepped in our way of making Urban the next coach at UT years ago. Everyone is fine right up until the point you find out they're a fuckbag. DJ Durkin was a hot coach out there until he basically killed a kid with a trident. I know Tom Herman is as motivated as anyone to win, he's arguably a narcissist, and we're already doing things to stay even in the world of trainers and whatnot that we weren't doing under prior regimes. We as fans may have the moral high ground, and I hope to fucking god that shows up if one of our coaches ever is discovered being a despicable human being (unlike what we're seeing in Columbus), but I just don't assume as a given that "our coaches" are good guys because they're at Texas just because they haven't been caught doing anything yet. And I think it's optimistic at best to assume our scrutiny keeps them honest. 

[kopp0e 1135]

18 hours ago, naija said:

frankly, I find the angle of saying Urban "passed it on" to be a charade in of itself. why anyone should think that would be enough is beyond me. who in their right mind believes Urban didn't have the biggest say over who was on his staff? if he went to the AD and said he wanted Smith gone, was he going to be stopped from having the result come to pass?

talk about passing the buck.

I would place it further in saying that Urban was given "carte blanche" status in adding whoever he wanted...

[C-Man 27285]

I would place it further in saying that Urban was given "carte blanche" status in adding whoever he wanted...

Same argument Briles apologists are making now.

[kopp0e 1135]

9 hours ago, UcancallmeSurly said:

I’ll need an endorsement from the Dungeons and Dragons crowd or Communist party before I feel cozy.

Well, Stranger Things are possible...

 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18593]

12 hours ago, ernest_t_bass said:

I was just at Crew stadium a couple weeks ago.  Really nice.  Shame to see them head to Austin.  Wonder what they'll use the stadium for.

Rallies to support wife beaters.

[campcrunk 2514]

17 hours ago, Treefidy said:

It's more than that, it's a shitbag coach who employs shitbag coaches.

Smith--wife abuser, drunk

schiano--allegedly knew about stuff at pedo

wilson-- fired for abusing players

Durkin--about to be fired for player death

tim beckman-- fired for player abuse

anderson-- left Wisconsin because they had "too high an academic standard for athletes; quit mid season at OreSU

 Withers--involved with butch davis scandal at UNC

mike Stanford--just a shitty coach and OC who was fired by strong at Louisville and replaced with Watson.  Any coach replaced by Watson deserves to be on this list  

thats almost half Meyers HC tree with some degree of douchiness.   The assistant branches likely include many more gems.  

 

 

 

Tim Beck - atrocities against the concept of offensive football.

[campcrunk 2514]

Dammit - Ucancallmysurly beat me to it.

[Machinator 32099]

Snook's latest:

Quote

The following is a column, including opinion and analysis:

ESPN STICKING TO ITS NARRATIVE IN OHIO STATE MESS UNTIL THE BITTER END

On Aug. 2, Paul Finebaum looked into an ESPN camera and said, “Urban Meyer is a fraud. I believed in Urban Meyer. I was wrong.”

Trevor Matich then compared Meyer to ex-Baylor Coach Art Briles, who was accused of covering up several instances of sexual assault and was fired.

And so it began.

With his definite and bold declaration, the World Wide Leader of Sports’ narrative of this public mess -- Ohio State’s investigation into Meyer’s role of whether he covered up alleged domestic violence from ex-receivers coach Zach Smith, who was fired July 23 for violating a no-contact court order filed by his ex-wife, Courtney Smith -- took off like a rocket.

Since the moment Meyer had been placed on paid-administrative, ESPN has consistently and securely carried this storyline like a school kid’s backpack. Through the words of various “on-air personalities,” as they are called, and across its wide variety of daily talk shows, it has typecast the main characters of this drama and has stuck to the playbill throughout:

Zach Smith = Wife-beating scumbag adulterer.

Courtney Smith = Battered wife and a brave heroine for coming forward.

Meyer = Lying, cheating football coach who cares only about winning, about to be unemployed at the end of this play.

Ohio State = Football factory which overlooks domestic violence to protect the millions of dollars it earns on fall Saturdays.

And now, on Tuesday, with the revelation of his 2013 arrest for impaired driving, something Smith admitted publicly that he hid from Meyer, the network added to Zach Smith’s profile:

Zach Smith = Otis Campbell on wheels.

Realize that no evidence to the contrary of any of these characterizations has or will make it to any of ESPN’s various channels. Once the storyline is set, it is set in concrete. You almost wonder if someone wearing a suit in Bristol, Conn., released an in-house memo carrying that directive.

And this attitude, which we have seen before, dangerous. Very dangerous.

The fast lane from accusations to public trial to guilt progresses in a nano-second.

I have reported that both Courtney Smith’s own mother and her ex-mother-in-law (Zach Smith’s mother) each have labeled her a habitual liar who was executing a pre-planned scheme to take down her ex-husband, and Meyer, himself. She spoke of it often, they said. They also claimed she was the one who committed domestic violence, with first-hand accounts.

Consistent with their claims, the Powell police department never arrested Zach Smith despite Courtney Smith’s numerous 911 calls. No district attorney in Delaware County ever filed charges.

Tina Carano, Courtney’s mother, described an incident in which her daughter purposely tried to run over her ex-husband with her car in the summer of 2015 in front of their two children. Zach Smith confirmed that as well. She also said her daughter has a drinking problem and “needs professional help.”

What say you, ESPN?

Crickets.

The network has chosen to ignore all of it.

Didn’t fit its narrative, and remember folks, the reporter in this case is an Ohio State graduate, so he must not be credible. He has written books on Ohio State football, so he must be holding a gun to these mothers’ heads and forcing them to lie. So if he tells you the campus’ stadium is shaped like a horseshoe, don’t believe him.

ESPN has avoided pursuing the truth from the beginning, pegging their hopes on one solitary character. They must be praying that Courtney Smith turns out to be credible.

Here’s a newsflash: She isn’t.

Her own family members will tell you that.

And I am pretty sure the Powell police department and its officers who had worn out a path to her residence to respond to her numerous 911 calls, have known it for some time, too. 
This will all come out as soon as the six-member committee and its bevy of lawyers investigating the matter releases its findings.

Unfortunately, the little sports network that was born in Bristol in 1979 and used to televise ping pong and badminton matches grew into the ESPN we know today. A behemoth in American culture that creates ad then shapes public opinion in the sports world. Then it drives it along like a well-tuned Ferrari.

Somebody on ESPN said it? Well then, it must be true.

Finebaum called Meyer a fraud.

Well then, he must be.

I heard he also took recent shots at me this week.

“Don’t know if this guy Snook is credible,” he said, among other things.

He and I roamed SEC press boxes and locker rooms (back when they were open) often in the 1980s and ‘90s, but I can’t remember if I ever met the guy. I do remember this: When I covered the Florida Gators and the SEC years ago, Finebaum was a much-despised columnist for an Alabama newspaper.

Steve Spurrier once told me, “Finebaum is the type of muckraker who gives you media boys a bad name … you can’t believe a word he writes.”

Not one football coach I know of respected the guy. He had it out for Florida State legendary coach Bobby Bowden for years and would rip into him at every turn -- all because Finebaum was personally offended when Bowden turned down the Alabama job in 1986. (Bowden then proceeded to turn FSU into the annual contender that Alabama was not at the time).

But it all changed when ESPN plucked Finebaum from his Alabama newsroom and put a microphone in front of his lips. Now he had a national voice and sudden credibility.

His “F-Baum” segments are appropriately labeled because I want to drop one every time he delivers one.

But back to this mess.

We have learned throughout history that hanging our judicial hats on single accusers and flimsy evidence can be risky. And that goes for journalists, too. This isn’t the Harvey Weinstein or Bill Cosby case, where there are dozens and dozens of accusers. They can’t all be lying, right?

On Aug. 29, 2007, a notable 44-year man died alone in Woodbury, Ga. The official cause of death was kidney failure, but he really died of a broken heart. He had few friends, but he died with plenty of money.

His name was Richard Jewell, the accused 1996 Olympic. The media convicted him publicly for years. Then it turned out he was innocent, and he was actually a hero whose actions saved many lives. It didn’t matter, because the damage was done and his life was ruined. Jewell later became filthy rich from all his libel suits against CNN, NBC and Cox Enterprises (which owned the Atlanta Constitution), however. (For the record, ESPN wasn’t a defendant in any of them although it televised much of the coverage before Jewell was cleared.)

How about the more-recent Duke lacrosse scandal?

Through thousands of hours of coverage, ESPN drove the narrative that convinced the public that the accused players were guilty of rape.

Turns out they weren’t.

Ironically, the network then aired a “30 for 30” documentary called “Fantastic Lies” of how the accused were pre-judged and not treated fairly.

That’s the ultimate in hypocrisy.

“Hey guys, let’s perpetuate a ton of lies, ruining people’s lives, and then we’ll broadcast a movie about how we did it!”

Now make no mistake: I am not equating terrorism and gang rape to this case, but the immediate overreaction, the bullet train from allegations to guilty, are similar here. There is broadcast time to fill, but no time to wait for the facts.

And ESPN can pick and choose who or what it believes once the narrative is set on the main story.

Just Sunday afternoon, I noticed ESPN’s scroll at the bottom of its various channels Sunday after I broke the news that Tom and Michelle Herman were knee-deep in this mess. 
It didn’t read, “Texas’ Herman accused of being involved in Ohio State scandal … ” or anything of the sort. 
It read: “Herman denies Facebook report … ”

That’s called shaping the news, folks.

On this matter, let me just respond to what is obvious: WELL, OF COURSE HE WOULD DENY IT.

He wasn’t exactly under oath. And have you ever heard anyone in the public eye, especially a head coach at a prominent college football program which pulls in millions of dollars each year, stand up in front of the media and admit, “Yeah, you got me! I was indeed the source that got this whole investigation rolling!”

As far as Brett McMurphy, who actually said something like, “Snook should have come to me for my source.”

Yeah, we reporters always question other reporters for their sources all the time. (That’s sarcasm). There are three things you never do as a journalist: You never pre-empt a follow-up question, you never look over the shoulder of someone typing in the press box – and you never, ever ask the identity of another reporter’s source.

Those credos apply to anyone working in the field, from the White House press room all the way down to a high school press box.

But back to Herman.

He realized Sunday that he had to admit giving Courtney Smith money, which turned out to be $10,000 (even after staring into the cameras two weeks ago and stating he knew nothing of anything going on at Ohio State ‘because we weren’t there in 2015”) and yet, many actually still believed his denial.

And for the record, in the many subsequent messages to and from Michelle Herman since, I have demanded that her husband retract his denial and do the right thing and admit the truth.

I know he won’t, because he has too much at stake to admit the truth now. But he isn’t realizing one more thing: When the investigative committee releases every ounce of its findings, and his name is mentioned, he made a mistake by not admitting the truth and getting out in front of it ahead of time.

I really think the Hermans are decent people. They just got caught up in something that just spun out of control. In their defense, I never for a minute believed they intended to take Meyer down. After all, for all of Herman’s differences with Meyer in the past three years, it was the Ohio State coach who plucked him from that college football hotbed of Ames, Iowa, in 2012 to run the Buckeyes’ offense. He gave Herman the break of his coaching life.

At the time, Ohio State’s fan base asked, “Tom who?”

After a national title in 2014 and two hugely successful years at Houston, Herman now has his dream job at Texas.

The Hermans had an ax to grind only with Zach Smith, as far as I can tell, and had to be shocked beyond belief when Meyer’s role became questioned and he was placed on leave. Smith and Herman, once very close from 2012-14, had a bad falling out since Herman left Ohio State. The wives, however, were very close and remain close.

Still, Michelle Herman told me this Tuesday about Courtney Smith via Messenger:

“She never told me she was being abused. She never told anyone she was being abused. Nobody saw any abuse.”

That, in essence, covered her husband’s responsibility toward his Title IX responsibilities while at Ohio State.

She went on to describe her relationship with Courtney Smith:

“We were close. I am not saying we weren’t close. We just weren’t that close while we were there. I wouldn’t call her my best friend, either.”

So why give her a substantial amount of money in 2017 (three years after the Hermans left Columbus)?

“When she needed to borrow money, she was drowning in debt and going to drop out of school. I said ‘that’s a bad idea. Then what will you do?’ I said, ‘Why don’t you let me loan you the money? I mean, it’s not going to hurt us.’ We loan people money all the time. Sometimes, we just give it to them.”

OK, there you have it. Want a loan? Just call the Longhorns’ football office. The head coach makes $5.5 million per.

Somebody sent me a clip of two of ESPN’s talking heads on one of their daily afternoon shows from Monday, discussing Herman and this story. They referred to me as “the Ohio State graduate who writes books on Ohio State.” Again, they questioned my motives and credibility. They said I created the Herman story only “to distract” from the real issue of domestic violence.

Laughable.

Believe me, if the real issue in this case was substantiated domestic violence, I would be all over it. But it’s not. It’s about a revengeful plot. Marriages sometimes can be messy, or “toxic” as this one has been called. And divorces of “toxic” marriages and be downright war.

How can I state this entire issue is not about domestic violence, you ask? Once again, for the 100th time, the Powell police have investigated and never found evidence to warrant charges. That doesn’t mean Zach Smith was a saint. He cheated on his wife. I am sure he put his hands on her as well, as she did him, especially after they both had tipped a few.

But let’s get back to our favorite sports network.

Remember one thing, ESPN stands for “Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.”

That first word in the acronym is crucial here. You would think they would have changed it years ago when it grew into the behemoth of American culture that it became.

In recent years, however, the network has lost its focus. Its 6 p.m and 11 p.m. SportsCenters, the heart of the network, have plummeted into a two-person gabfest about such things as who has the finest clothes and which latest music group may win a Grammy. Recent layoffs of hundreds of employees and sagging ratings have further eroded the network’s influence.

It’s really a shame ESPN lost its way, because other than Bob Ley, its live televised events, and the dozens of “30 for 30” documentaries, it really has become an industry joke. Collectively, it is to sports journalism what Big Mac is to a great lunch.

In these times of scandals permeating athletic departments (ESPN already has re-focused its primary attention on Maryland), who really knows how a school president will react? It wouldn’t shock me one bit if Ohio State succumbed to the huge national pressure to ultimately sack Meyer – as a result of ESPN’s determination from the start.

Sometimes, it’s just easier to appease the lynch mob than to stand up to it.

That’s the challenge school president Michael Drake faces. Let’s see if he passes the test, the biggest one of his career thus far.

Will he vindicate and reinstate Meyer if the investigative committee discovers he did his job correctly -- or will he give in to the lynch mob and fire him? Or did the committee find the smoking gun that nobody else has found, something that implicates Meyer in not fulfilling his contractual obligations? That would be truly shocking at this point considering Meyer has changed dramatically since his days at Florida.

He has cracked down on player discipline like a drill sergeant and toed the corporate line since taking the job in December, 2011. If a player got caught illegally parking in a handicap spot at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, he passed the matter to the athletic director. There are no indications there is an Aaron Hernandez in his coaching closet. 
Or will Drake compromise and suspend him? Which would inform the public there was something there, perhaps, maybe, and we at Ohio State just wanted you to know we did something.

By Monday morning, when I expect Drake and the university to release its findings and announce Meyer’s future, I don’t believe he will be proven the fraud Finebaum thinks he is.

Nope, I believe the real fraud here is the World Wide Leader.

And it has been for some time.
 
 

 

[PilotsError 2324]

That's a bold strategy Cotton.

[kopp0e 1135]

1 hour ago, Zavala said:

They could both be related to the reporter, Snook...

 

[UDontKnow 10450]

This bitch Snook talks out both sides of his mouth. First Herman leaked the information over a recruit and now the Hermans are decent ppl with no axe to grind against Meyer? Which one is it fuckboi?

[Cheeseweasel 26438]

28 minutes ago, Machinator said:

Zach Smith = Wife-beating scumbag adulterer.

Courtney Smith = Battered wife and a brave heroine for coming forward.

Meyer = Lying, cheating football coach who cares only about winning, about to be unemployed at the end of this play.

Ohio State = Football factory which overlooks domestic violence to protect the millions of dollars it earns on fall Saturdays.

Seem right. What's the problem?

[kopp0e 1135]

 

[Tex Pete 20514]

1 hour ago, SydneyCarton said:

Sorry man, flat out disagree with that 100%.

That's fine. Just don't mischaracterize what the "other side" thinks. I doubt a single person here just doesn't care about rape, or at least cares more about winning football games than rape. Our fanbase is very different from the jort-wearing trash from the midwest. 

[UDontKnow 10450]

20 minutes ago, Tex Pete said:

That's fine. Just don't mischaracterize what the "other side" thinks. I doubt a single person here just doesn't care about rape, or at least cares more about winning football games than rape. Our fanbase is very different from the jort-wearing trash from the midwest. 

Or even the trash piles located on the Brazos River.

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

42 minutes ago, Tex Pete said:

That's fine. Just don't mischaracterize what the "other side" thinks. I doubt a single person here just doesn't care about rape, or at least cares more about winning football games than rape. Our fanbase is very different from the jort-wearing trash from the midwest. 

There is definitely a middle ground here, but I'm honestly not sure we really have all that much moral high ground. Some? Well, yes, but I think Sydney's larger point as that we damned sure better not be complacent about simply believing "it can't happen here" because, the truth is, it can happen pretty much anywhere, unless people are vigilant about it. Unquestionably, tOSU has zero grounds to talk down to anybody (hell, the skeletons in Earl Bruce's closet are barely closeted -- that program has been a white trash program since before anyone knew the words "white trash"), but if we want to keep our hands clean, we need to be persistent about it.

[Tex Pete 20514]

26 minutes ago, Walden Ponderer said:

There is definitely a middle ground here, but I'm honestly not sure we really have all that much moral high ground. Some? Well, yes, but I think Sydney's larger point as that we damned sure better not be complacent about simply believing "it can't happen here" because, the truth is, it can happen pretty much anywhere, unless people are vigilant about it.

I agree 100%, and I think the vast majority of our alums and fanbase would as well. If we have moral high ground at all, it's only because it hasn't happened here. Or we haven't looked the other way in handling punishments. (and Major Applewhite is NOTHING like what happened at Baylor or OSU)

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

19 minutes ago, Tex Pete said:

 (and Major Applewhite is NOTHING like what happened at Baylor or OSU)

I'm probably more judgmental about Applewhite than most other folk are, and even I think we handled that right. I probably should have added that as a data point. He's a legend here, but it didn't save his job. No matter how well he does at Houston (or anywhere else he goes), I'm fairly sure the one job that is permanently closed to him is the Texas job, precisely because we prefer spotless records in such matters. Are we perfect? Hell no. But we do have some kind of track record of giving a damn.