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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Urban Meyer, the highly successful coach who won three national championships and sparked controversy this season for his handling of domestic violence allegations against a now-fired assistant at Ohio State, he will retire after the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, the school said Tuesday.
Mack Brown, who just got back into coaching at 67 years old with North Carolina last week, said Meyer called him at 6 a.m. to tell him the news and noted health issues.
“The first thing he said is: ‘Are you crazy or what?’ And laughed. And then he said, ‘I’m stepping away,'” said Brown, who is in New York for his College Football Hall of Fame induction. “And he explained to me that he has the health issues and that’s totally the reason he’s stepping away, and it’s time for him to do that.”
Meyer Said He Knew About the Allegations Against Smith
A news conference was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon with Meyer, school officials and co-offensive coordinator Ryan Day, who will take over as the 25th head coach of the storied program where Meyer won a national title in 2014 after two at Florida (2006, 2008). It was Day who led the Buckeyes when Meyer was suspended for three games to start this season over his role in the handling of assistant coach Zach Smith, who was accused by his ex-wife of domestic abuse.
Meyer said he knew about the allegations against Smith — grandson of former Ohio State coach Earle Bruce — but wasn’t sure they were true and kept Smith on staff because no criminal charges were filed. The university cited that lapse in suspending Meyer after an investigation.
A report issued by an investigative committee left a lasting stain, detailing behavior by Meyer that could have taken down a coach of lesser stature. The investigation showed he tolerated bad behavior for years from Smith, including domestic-violence accusations, drug addiction, lies and other acts that directly clash with the values Meyer touts publicly.
The announcement came as the Buckeyes begin preparations for the bowl game against Washington and less than three weeks before the early signing period, giving recruits time to change their minds. Former players were full of praise for Meyer.
Stressful Season for Meyer and His Staff
“Besides my parents, you were one of the most influential people to touch my life and I’m appreciative of that,” former Buckeyes linebacker Joshua Perry wrote on Twitter.
“(Meyer) told me that he couldn’t be animated at the level he needed to to energize the team and stay healthy. That’s the problem,” Brown said.
The Buckeyes’ strong finish this season belied on-the-field problems that made for a stressful season for Meyer and his staff. He lost star defensive end Nick Bosa to an early season-ending injury, and the defense never fully recovered.
The team alternated expected blowout wins with puzzling play that included a pair of one-point wins (Penn State, Maryland) and a closer-than-expected win over a struggling Nebraska team. A startling blowout loss at unranked Purdue on Oct. 20 pushed Ohio State to the fringe of the national championship chase and prompted questions about Meyer’s future and he was forced to addressed speculation that he would step down at the end of the season.
“I plan on coaching,” he said on Oct. 29. Asked if he would definitely return to Ohio State next year, he answered, “Yes.”
Success Is Meyer’s Trademark
Ohio State followed that with five straight wins, including a rout of archrival Michigan that gave the Buckeyes another division title and then pulled away for an easy win over Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship.
It appeared to be a dream job for the Toledo native. His contract was extended in April by two years through 2022, increasing Meyer’s salary to $7.6 million in 2018 with annual 6 percent raises. Meyer has about $38 million left on his contract.
Ohio State will now turn to Day, a second-year Ohio State assistant who had never before been a head coach before he stepped in for Meyer this season.
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