Annie Rice/Associated Press Nine different police reports were filed related to incidents between former Ohio State receivers coach Zach Smith and his ex-wife, Courtney Smith, who came forward publicly with accusations that Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer and his wife knew of the history of domestic violence. Bill Landis of Cleveland.com reported the incidents happened between Jan. 1, 2012 and July 26, 2018. Zach Smith was fired July 23, less than a week after Courtney filed a restraining order against her ex-husband. She says he physically abused her in October 2015 and has provided photographic evidence, though no charges were ever filed. "All the (coaches) wives knew," Courtney Smith told Brett McMurphy. "They all did. Every single one." Courtney Smith said the abuse dates back to at least 2009. At the time, Hiram de Fries, who is currently a special assistant to Meyer at Ohio State, told her to not report an incident to police. "[De Fries] said, 'If you don't drop the charges, Zach will never coach again,'" Courtney Smith told McMurphy. "'He's never hit you before. He was drinking. He'll probably never do it again. You should think about giving him a second chance.'" In another interview with WatchStadium, Courtney says she told Shelley Meyer in 2015 about Zach's physical abuse. Shelley Meyer then said she would have a discussion with Urban about the matter. Courtney Smith said Shelley never confirmed she told Urban about the matter. Meyer said he reported the 2009 incident to authorities at Florida. "We found out what happened according to both parties, we met with them. There were no charges. Everything was dropped," Meyer told reporters. "It was a very young couple and I saw a very talented young coach and we moved forward." Meyer did, however, say he had no knowledge of the 2015 incident. Ohio State has not released a statement on the matter at this time.<doc-sep>As Columbus-area media combs through police records, more accusations of criminal and creepy behavior by fired Ohio State assistant Zach Smith are coming to light. WBNS 10TV found that Courtney Smith filed nine police reports against Zach Smith, her ex-husband, between January 2012 and July 2018. Notable events in the timeline are October of 2015, when Courtney Smith told police she felt she was being followed by a man in an SUV. Five days later, she reported to police that she was a victim of “sustained physical abuse.” The 2015 incident has been at the center of the controversy surrounding Urban Meyer. Zach Smith recently had the police called for trespassing on Courtney Smith’s property (dropping off their children). The July 2018 trespassing incident was reported as an arrest (Smith’s attorney says it was only a citation) led to Smith’s firing. It also led to reporter Brett McMurphy reporting on the 2015 incident. Urban Meyer denied the McMurphy report at Big Ten Media Days, saying nothing happened and he didn’t know how the report was “created.” The comments led McMurphy to do more reporting. On Wednesday he published a follow-up report, including text messages from Courtney Smith to Shelley Meyer about the 2015 incident and abuse. The same day, Courtney Smith told Stadium she believed Urban Meyer knew of Zach Smith’s abuse. Later that day, Ohio State placed Meyer on administrative leave. The school has now hired outside help to investigate. Zach and Courtney Smith divorced in 2016, but 10TV notes that Courtney Smith continued to complain of Zach Smith’s behavior. In December 2017, Courtney Smith told police that neighbors informed her Zach Smith was in her yard, “looking in her windows” and “banging on her door.” Courtney Smith’s filing for a civil protection order notes that she found a webcam, which was on, placed underneath her sofa. 10TV also notes that in a written statement, “Smith claims about a year ago she found Zach standing in her boyfriend’s backyard watching them eat dinner through a sliding glass door.” In the same filing, she accuses Zach Smith of hacking her accounts and remotely accessing her laptop.<doc-sep>The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>After the dust settles in a tangled web of half-truths and credibility-questioned reporting, at some point, the truth will come out at Ohio State. Before the ongoing investigation into alleged domestic abuse involving ex-assistant Zach Smith and Urban Meyer's knowledge of the situation is complete and all the facts rise to the surface, here's a timeline look-back of the events involving Smith, his ex-wife Courtney, Lynn Bruce, Tina Carano and the later stages of Meyer's involvement: 2009 June 21: Zach Smith, an intern on Urban Meyer's staff at Florida, is charged with felony assault after allegedly roughing up his pregnant wife, Courtney Smith. Urban Meyer later addresses this incident at at 2018 Big Ten Media Days and says the police report wasn't accurate. “We're certainly not going to investigate," Meyer said. "It came back to me that what was reported wasn't actually what happened.” July: Courtney Smith says she was pressured by Zach Smith's grandfather, Earle Bruce, and Hiram de Fries, a life skills expert and someone extremely close to Urban Meyer, to drop charges against her husband. “He said ‘if you don’t drop the charges, Zach will never coach again,’ ” Courtney said. “ ‘He’s never hit you before. He was drinking. He’ll probably never do it again. You should think about giving him a second chance.’ 2015 April: Courtney Smith reveals to McMurphy she feared for her well-being, but didn't pursue charges after calling 911 a "handful" of times. “I hung up out of fear because I was scared Zach would lose his job. He threw me down on the bathroom floor (in April 2015) and screamed ‘look what you’ve turned me into.’ I don’t know what he was on. Another time, he took the top of a dip can and cut my hand. Everyone – all my family – said don’t call 911. If you do, he’ll get fired.” Photos of Courtney Smith's injuries allegedly from 2015 were included in McMurphy's Facebook post. June 6: Courtney Smith says she left her husband, but hadn't yet filed for divorce. Stalking followed, she says. September: Zach Smith sent Courtney Smith the following text messages, which were shown to McMurphy: “The past 3 months. You were going to try to give me a chance a week ago and now, even though I have done NOTHING WRONG since then, you’re done with me. I will kill that bitch and everyone involved. For ruining my life. I am getting myself right and getting punished. F--- all of you. Just know that now… I will find you when your out. I will come seek the douche your with. I will f--- him up to the point that no one will recognize him." Courtney Smith later reports the threatening texts. Oct. 21: A police report is filed by Courtney Smith, who believed she was being followed, indicating the first time domestic violence issues had resurfaced (at least publicly). Oct. 25: Courtney Smith reveals (to McMurphy) that “Zach took me and shoved me up against the wall, with his hands around my neck" while the couple was separated. Nov. 9: Courtney Smith files a "menacing by stalking" report against Zach Smith. Nov. 12: Courtney Smith files for divorce two days after she was granted a restraining order against Zach Smith. She shows McMurphy a text message conversation with Shelley Meyer telling her she had to get out of a bad marriage for her kids. 2016 Jan. 5: Courtney Smith is stopped for speeding and cites difficulties with her marriage as the reason. Sept. 5: Courtney Smith's divorce from Zach Smith becomes official. 2018 May 12: Zach Smith charged with criminal trespassing, according to the Powell Police Department. Smith admitted to police his pulled up to his ex-wife's residence despite Courtney Smith pleading with him not to show up. July 20: Reported first by Brett McMurphy three days after the filing, Zach Smith has a domestic civil order filed against him by Courtney Smith. July 23: Zach Smith fired after being charged with a misdemeanor charge of criminal trespassing due to an incident involving his ex-wife. Smith was arrested for aggravated battery for allegedly grabbing or pushing Courtney when she was pregnant, but charges weren't filed. July 24: During his availability at Big Ten Media Days, Meyer said he had no knowledge of a previous alleged domestic violence incident in 2015 against Smith and and didn't find out about the other until a recent phone call. “There was nothing (in 2015),” Meyer told a horde of media members after explaining away a 2009 incident involving Smith and his then-wife. "I don’t know who creates a story like that.” Aug 1: McMurphy’s detail-rich Facebook bombshell centers around Urban Meyer allegedly knowing of Zach Smith’s long history of abuse, specifically a 2015 incident that Meyer previously denied. Ohio State puts Meyer on paid administrative leave and launches investigation. Assistant coach Ryan Day is promoted to acting coach. Courtney Smith tells Stadium she isn't sure if Shelley Meyer ever told Urban Meyer of their conversation. Aug. 3: Meyer speaks for the first time on the Zach Smith situation, releasing a statement. He says he followed proper university protocol in reporting the alleged abuse and says he always has at career coaching stops. In a way, this puts part of the onus on Gene Smith, Ohio State's athletic director, who later goes on vacation during the investigation. A few hours after Meyer's statement, Smith defends his former colleague in both television and radio interviews and denies he ever struck his ex-wife. Aug. 9: Lynn Bruce, the mother of Zach Smith, comes out in defense of her son and says Zach never abused Courtney Smith and only protected himself against her. In a bombshell report written by Ohio State insider Jeff Snook, Bruce goes on the record and even says Courtney Smith's own mother, Tina Carano, can corroborate the details. Snook promises another angle to the story very soon. Aug. 11: Snook claims Texas coach Tom Herman was the whistleblower to McMurphy against Zach Smith initially in an effort to get him back for losing five-star recruit Garrett Wilson, a Texas native, to the Buckeyes.<doc-sep>
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Police reports obtained by cleveland.com detail a tumultuous three years of domestic incidents between former Ohio State receivers coach Zach Smith and his ex-wife, Courtney Smith. Nine reports obtained from Powell police involving Zach Smith and/or Courtney Smith between the dates of January 1, 2012 and July 26, 2018 involve domestic disputes between the Smiths, who divorced in 2016. That includes an alleged incident of domestic abuse on Oct. 25, 2015. In that report, which was previously revealed last week, Courtney Smith claimed to be the victim of sustained physical abuse at the hands of her ex-husband. In a report on Wednesday, Courtney Smith told Brett McMurphy that her ex-husband "shoved me up against the wall, with his hands around my neck." Those details are not included in the report from Powell police, and no charges were filed form the incident. Courtney Smith field for an order of protection against her ex-husband on July 20 in Delaware, Ohio. Zach Smith, who was fired by Ohio State on July 23, has never been charged with a domestic violence crime. Smith's social media account on Twitter was recently changed to remove his Ohio State bio and features only the hashtag #NotMe. That slogan was adopted by music entrepreneur and businessman Russell Simmons in December of 2017 after he was accused of sexual assault. He abandoned the hashtag a month later. Smith is facing a charge of criminal trespass after driving into Courtney Smith's driveway during a child custody exchange on May 12, 2018. Zach Smith had previously been warned that driving onto his ex-wife's property could result in such a charge, which was detailed in the additional reports obtained by cleveland.com. The nine reports handled by Powell police that mention domestic issues show that Courtney Smith was repeatedly talking about the problems with her husband. The reports include: * A handful of child custody disputes. * A indicates Courtney informed police that she felt she was being followed by someone in a black SUV, and shared she was having issues "with her soon to be ex-husband." That was the first mention of domestic issues found in the reports obtained by cleveland.com. * Another details Courtney Smith telling Powell police she wished to file a restraining order against her husband. * There's in which Courtney Smith was given a speeding warning. Smith shared that she was having domestic issues with her ex-husband that day, and that the City of Powell was aware of it. The report adds that she was crying and visibly upset. * An incident on December 17, 2017 when Courtney reported neighbors seeing Zach looking through the windows of her home, the windows of her vehicle and banging on the door of her home at 1:30 a.m. No charges were filed from that incident, but Zach Smith was issued a trespass warning. In his report on Wednesday, McMurphy alleges that Meyer knew of the 2015 incident after previously denying any knowledge of it at Big Ten media days. Meyer fired Zach Smith on July 23, saying he was aware of a domestic abuse allegation against Smith in Florida in 2009, but adding that 2015 allegations against Smith had nothing to do with the decision. Courtney Smith decided to go public with her side of the story on Wednesday, both in McMurphy's report and in a video interview with Stadium. In that interview with Stadium, Courtney Smith reveals that she informed her family and Zach Smith's family of his alleged abuse, and was advised to not to involve the police. Courtney Smith also said that she sent pictures and details to Urban Meyer's wife, Shelley, after the alleged 2015 incident. She added that Zach Smith's alleged abuse was known by the wives of all of Ohio State's assistant coaches. Meyer said he had his staff look into those 2015 allegations last week, when he claimed to first hear about them, and that "there's nothing ... I don't know who creates a story like that." Everyone, including Meyer, now knows the story wasn't created. And Courtney Smith was telling her story long before Wednesday.