Football First?

“The warning signs flared: delinquent payments for university travel expenses, a $600 night at a Florida strip club with at least one high school coach, a rash of missed meetings on recruiting trips for football players and late arrivals at practices,” as The New York Times is reporting. “But Zach Smith, the Ohio State assistant coach at the center of it all, not only kept his job but got raises along the way.

“Even before these episodes, described in a university report released Wednesday, he had been accused in 2009 of throwing his pregnant wife against a wall while an assistant at the University of Florida, though no charges were filed. At the time, like he did recently at Ohio State, Mr. Smith had a powerful benefactor looking after him: Urban Meyer, a living legend of a football coach whose mentor was Mr. Smith’s grandfather, Earle Bruce, another revered Ohio State coach.

“The question, however, is whether Mr. Meyer, 54, one of the best-known and highest-paid coaches in college football who has won three national championships, looked the other way or was cut a wide berth by those who dared not challenge him regarding an individual so close to him.”

The rest of the article is HERE.

Author: jeffpelline

Jeff Pelline is a veteran editor and award-winning journalist - in print and online. He is publisher of Sierra FoodWineArt magazine and its website SierraCulture.com. Jeff covered business and technology for The San Francisco Chronicle for 12 years, and he was a founding editor and Editor of CNET News for eight years, among other positions. Jeff has a bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley and a master's from Northwestern University. His hobbies include sailing, swimming, and trout fishing in the Sierra. View all posts by jeffpelline