The ugly situation at Ohio State continues to get uglier, and the latest development involves the mother of fired assistant Zach Smith. According to Lynn Bruce (Smith’s mom and the daughter of former Ohio State coach Earle Bruce), Smith’s ex-wife, Courtney, was out for vengeance after Smith cheated on her. Per a story from reporter and author Jeff Snook (posted on his Facebook page), Bruce said her former daughter-in-law said several times that Urban Meyer was in her crosshairs: “She told me that not one time, but in fact she said it several times over the years,” Bruce said. “When she found out five years ago that Zach had cheated on her, she was so angry that she vowed to me she would get back at him someday. And she said she would take Urban down, too. And this is exactly what she did. She wanted to do as much damage as possible. She has been planning this for some time.” Obviously, the mother of the accused isn’t the most unbiased source, but Snook also reportedly talked to Courtney Smith’s mom, who agreed with Bruce: “I believe that Zach was removing himself from an argument and I do not believe he intentionally abused her,” Tina Carano said. “I do not believe he actually intentionally swung or punched her … no.” These quotes are certainly interesting, and Ohio State will likely look into them. It’s a fine line between victim-blaming and defending someone, and Snook’s reporting is likely to be heavily scrutinized in the coming weeks.<doc-sep>Planting a web cam underneath a couch, and cornering Courtney Smith in a laundry room are among the descriptions and allegations outlined in a narrative of Smith’s request in Delaware County, Ohio for a protective order against her ex-husband, Zach Smith. Those details were released in a report by Deadspin, which summarizes the events, particularly in the last month as reporter Brett McMurphy has documented. About the webcam, Courtney Smith wrote, “He was using this to watch and listen to me and my children. He went hacked my email accounts, my wifi and even remotely accessed my laptop. He would stalk me himself or send others to do the stalking.” Later, once the divorce was final, the ex-wife said Zach Smith would contact any male he thought she was dating and send that person threatening messages through social media. Zach Smith also allegedly stalked her home at 1:30 a.m., while intoxicated, and looked through her backdoors and attempted to enter through the back sliding doors. Last week, in an interview with ESPN, Zach Smith recalled a conversation he had with coach Urban Meyer. “He looked at me said, ‘Zach, if you hit her, you are fired immediately.’ I looked at him and said, ‘Coach, if I hit her I wouldn’t come in here. I know how you feel about that. If I hit her, I wouldn’t even come to work. I would know it’s over.” I never hit her.” Deadspin reported that a judge granted Courtney Smith’s request, but Zach Smith is challenging the protection order. Zach Smith’s lawyer and Smith have claimed everything Courtney Smith said is false. The next hearing on the protection order is scheduled for September.<doc-sep>(CNN) — Ohio State University football coach and three-time national championship winner Urban Meyer is on paid leave as the school investigates exactly what he knew about the spousal abuse allegations leveled against his longtime assistant. Courtney Smith, ex-wife of former Ohio State wide receivers coach Zach Smith, spoke to Stadium sports network, outlining accusations that Zach Smith on various occasions threw her against a wall, picked her up by her neck, took a golf club to her car and broke her windshield after a recruiting dinner. This came on top of emotional, verbal and psychological abuse, as well as attempts to financially drain her, she told the network. The abuse began in 2009, she said. Through his attorney, Zach Smith has denied the allegations. Courtney Smith said she made Meyer’s wife, Shelley, aware of the alleged abuse and Shelley Meyer said she would speak to her husband, but Courtney Smith did not follow up to find out whether Urban Meyer had been informed. “In 2015, I came forward with it. I told Shelley. I sent her some pictures. I spoke to her on the phone,” Courtney Smith told Stadium. Protection order and ouster Zach Smith was fired July 23 after he was served with a civil protection order. The order, signed July 20, is effective until 2023 and prohibits him from going within 500 feet of his ex-wife. Meyer has said the protection order had “a little bit” to do with Zach Smith’s ouster, but that the decision to ax him was a “group effort.” adam lacy/Cal Sport Media via AP Images Zach Smith, pictured in 2017, has coached at Ohio State since 2012. Ohio State, already embroiled in alleged sex abuse scandals involving a now-deceased athletics doctor and a diving coach, said it is investigating the issue. A later statement said the school’s board of trustees formed an “independent board working group” to direct the investigative team. Ryan Day, the team’s offensive coordinator, will serve as head football coach during Urban Meyer’s leave. Ohio State’s football season kicks off September 1 with a home game against Oregon State. The university said Thursday that, until further notice, football practices would be closed to the media, and no coaches or players would be available for interviews. “We are focused on supporting our players and on getting to the truth as expeditiously as possible,” a university statement said. Meyer said in a statement that he and athletic director Gene Smith concurred that putting him on leave would expedite the investigation. “This allows the team to conduct training camp with minimal distraction. I eagerly look forward to the resolution of this matter,” he said. Allegations in 2009 Meyer has acknowledged knowing about an incident involving the Smiths in 2009, when Meyer and Zach Smith coached at the University of Florida. In that incident, Courtney Smith told Stadium, Zach Smith came home inebriated with a female co-worker and asked if the co-worker could spend the night. Courtney Smith, pregnant with the couple’s child, said she couldn’t and drove the co-worker home, she told Stadium. When she got back to the house, she found Zach Smith in bed and demanded he sleep on the couch, and an argument ensued, she said. EXCLUSIVE: Longtime Urban Meyer assistant Zach Smith's ex-wife, Courtney Smith, opens up about reported domestic violence and what she believes Meyer knew. pic.twitter.com/dNWA9x2F4y — Stadium (@Stadium) August 1, 2018 “He literally picked me up by my shirt and threw me up against the wall,” Courtney Smith said. She dropped the charges against her then-husband under pressure from his family and an attorney who represented members of the football team, she told Stadium. “I truly believed he would never do it again,” she said. Meyer said he and Shelley Meyer “actually both got involved because of our relationship with that family and advised counseling and wanted to help as we moved forward.” The 2015 allegations Zach Smith, grandson of the Hall of Fame former Ohio State head coach Earle Bruce, and his wife moved to the Columbus area in 2012, and “everything went out of control,” Courtney Smith told Stadium. She felt the pressure of his job forced him into a toxic lifestyle, and he became abusive when questioned, she said. Courtney Smith separated from him in 2015 after eight years of marriage, hoping it would end the abuse, but it didn’t, she said. In the 2015 incident, Zach Smith came to her house wanting to take their son, but it wasn’t his parenting night. She told him no, she recalled. Jay LaPrete/AP Urban Meyer, one of college football's most successful coaches, is on paid leave. “When I stood up to him, he didn’t like it. He took me and shoved me up against the wall with his hands around my neck – something he did very often. My daughter was clinging to my leg,” she told Stadium. She called police after he left with their son, but Zach Smith was never charged, she said. “I don’t know what happened,” she added. At a news conference last week, Meyer said he was unaware of the 2015 allegations. “I got a text last night that something happened in 2015, and there was nothing,” Meyer told reporters. “I don’t know who creates a story like that.” Lawyer: Police will back Zach Smith’s story The abuse allegations became public July 23, when college football reporter Brett McMurphy posted details of the alleged 2009 and 2015 incidents to Facebook. Attorney Brad Koffel, who is representing Zach Smith, said his client desires to be transparent but that he would not be telling his side of the story to the media. “It will only be after he and his ex-wife are sworn in to testify. Once he gets his chance to tell his side of events, don’t be surprised when it is corroborated by every police who ever responded to Ms. Smith’s calls,” Koffel said. Courtney Smith told Stadium she didn’t come forward sooner because her husband threatened her. After abusing her, he would often take her phone and would threaten to hurt her or take the kids if she went to police, she said. His family urged her not to call police, saying he would lose his job and send the family into financial turmoil, she said. In short, she was too frightened to come forward, she said. When she did divulge the abuse, one of the people she confided in was Shelley Meyer, she said. Stadium and McMurphy both have reported text exchanges between Courtney Smith and Shelley Meyer in which Courtney Smith details the abuse allegations. McMurphy reports Courtney Smith also told the wives of other Ohio State football coaches and athletic officials. Ohio State coach Urban Meyer placed on administrative leave as school launches investigation after my report. If Meyer knew about domestic violence issues, he would have violated his contract & can be fired with cause https://t.co/fcxi8GKyeI — Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 1, 2018 In her Stadium interview, Courtney Smith said that after she told Shelley Meyer of the abuse in 2015, Meyer said she had to tell her husband. Courtney Smith supported the move, she said, because she was concerned that Zach Smith was in a position of mentoring young men. Shelley Meyer never told her whether she had informed the Ohio State head coach, Courtney Smith said, but Urban Meyer would ask her questions – How are you doing? Is everything OK? – that led her to believe the coach’s wife had conveyed the allegations. Asked directly if she felt Urban Meyer knew of his assistant’s alleged behavior, Courtney Smith told Stadium, “I believe he does.” Meyer has one of the best college football winning percentages of all time, with 188 wins and only 34 losses in 17 years. He coached the Bowling Green Falcons and Utah Utes before winning two national championships with the Florida Gators. He won a third national championship, with Ohio State, in 2015. Meyer took the helm at Ohio State, one of the country’s top programs, from Luke Fickell, a longtime Ohio State assistant who ascended to the top job for a year after the once-heralded championship coach Jim Tressel resigned.<doc-sep>
Update: Ohio State announced Wednesday afternoon that coach Urban Meyer has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into his handling of the Zach Smith situation. Offensive coordinator Ryan Day will serve as the head coach in Meyer's absence. Original story When asked at this year's Big Ten Media Days, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said he was unaware of a 2015 domestic violence incident involving former Buckeyes wide receiver Zach Smith and his now ex-wife, Courtney. Specifically, Meyer told reporters at the event in Chicago that he was only informed of the situation right before his appearance. "I got a text last night that something happened in 2015, and there was nothing," Meyer told reporters, adding, "I don't know who creates a story like that." However, Brett McMurphy reported Wednesday -- through a string of interviews and text messages he uncovered -- that Meyer did know about the 2015 incident in which Smith was arrested for felonious assault and domestic violence of his then-wife. McMurphy's entire report is obviously worth reading, but the pertinent information includes the following ... Courtney Smith's text messages with Meyer's wife, Shelley, who at one point during a 2015 exchange said, "I am with you! A lot of women stay hoping it will get better. I don't blame you! But just want u to be safe. Do you have a restraining order? He scares me." Courtney added that Shelley was a "frequent texter." Courtney's communication with wives of other Ohio State assistants and staffers. McMurphy writes that those wives "and a number of Ohio State assistant coaches were aware of Smith's domestic violence issues." Speaking with McMurphy, Courtney said, "All the [coaches] wives knew. They all did. Every single one." A change in the police report for the domestic violence incident on Oct. 26, 2015. Per the Powell Police report, a box was checked indicating Zach Smith had been arrested. However, in a revised report, that arrest box was no longer checked. The PPD told McMurphy "The terminology used by the Police Department was different in the original report (dated 10/26/2015) and inconsistent with what actually occurred." Courtney telling McMurphy the following: "Zach once told me, if he ever got fired and this all comes out: 'I'll take everyone at Ohio State down with me.'" Perhaps the most damning piece of information from McMurphy's report is an exchange between Courtney and Lindsey Voltolini in the weeks following the 2015 incident. Lindsey's husband Brian Voltolini is "considered one of Meyer's most loyal staff members," according to McMurphy. Courtney: "[Zach's] trying to make me look crazy bc that's what Shelley is saying [he's doing]" Lindsey: "[Urban] just said [Zach] denied everything" Courtney: "I hope urban is smarter than that" Lindsey: "[Urban] doesn't know what to think" Courtney: "I don't really care. Ya know" Lindsey: "Yeah, don't worry about urb" Meyer said he was aware of a domestic violence incident involving Zach Smith in 2009 when the latter was an assistant at Florida. According to documents, Smith had an altercation with his wife, who was three months pregnant at the time. Meyer told reporters in Chicago, "As I do any time, and I imagine most coaches or people in leadership positions, when you receive a phone call, first thing you do is tell your boss. Let the experts do their jobs. We're certainly not going to investigate. It came back to me that what was reported wasn't what actually happened. So Shelley and I actually both got involved with the relationship with that family, and provided counseling, and wanted to help them moving forward." Zach was ultimately not charged in the incident, though per Courtney, two of Meyer's closest friends -- Hiram de Fries, who is Meyer's "life coach", and former Ohio State coach Earle Bruce -- asked her to drop charges of aggravated battery of a pregnant victim. The influences of those voices on Meyer are key components to that allegation. Bruce, who passed away in April, was not only an Ohio State great, but Zach's grandfather and a close mentor of Meyer's. Moreover, Cleveland.com reports that the Powell police filed nine incident reports between Jan. 1, 2012, and July 26, 2018, involving domestic issues between Zach and Courtney Smith.