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Ohio State has fired wide receivers coach Zach Smith after his ex-wife filed a domestic violence protection order against him on Friday, July 20.
Smith was fired on Monday, July 23, after he was charged with criminal trespassing after dropping his children off at the home of his ex-wife, Courtney Smith, against her wishes in May 2018.
Smith requested and was granted a personal protection order that requires her Smith to stay 500 feet away from her.
This is not the first time Smith has been involved in domestic violence as hew was arrested and charged with felony assault while an assistant coach at the University of Florida in 2009.
Speaking at Big Ten media day on Tuesday, Head Coach Urban Meyer said: “The most important people in our program are our players. We’re very clear of our expectations. We decided to make a change.”
via ESPN:
Meyer said he didn’t want to discuss the details about why Smith was fired now, but he acknowledged that past allegations that had been publicized this week were a factor.
“I do understand the value that the Ohio State University is bigger than all of us,” Meyer said. “It wasn’t just my decision. It was other people I relied on.”
Powell Police Department officials said Tuesday morning that they had no record of any arrests. But they sent an email at 4:50 p.m. ET saying they discovered records of those incidents after further review.
According to those records, Powell police did visit Smith’s home twice in the fall of 2015. The first incident was a complaint about domestic violence and felonious assault. Courtney Smith told police “that a domestic incident happened last night at her home and that she has been a victim of sustained physical abuse by the suspect.”
Speaking to the media, Meyer said he will make an announcement about a replacement for Smith later in the week. At this time, graduate assistant and former NFL receiver Brian Hartline is considered a front-runner to take over the role.
