Urban Meyer controversy highlights character issues in sports
Coaches are supposed to serve as positive role models to their athletes, teach them how to be great leaders, set a good example and hold themselves to those same high standards. Far too often, this responsibility gets lost on the coaches and they stress the importance of character without applying the message to themselves.
Ohio State University head football coach Urban Meyer is the latest example of this hypocrisy. During a 17-year career comprising of two national championships at the University of Florida and a third at Ohio State, Meyer has encouraged his athletes to always show good character by staying out of trouble off the field.
After being suspended for three games for failing to notify Ohio State of past domestic violence allegations against his longtime assistant coach Zach Smith, Meyer admitted to not handling the situation properly during a press conference and an interview with ESPN. Meyer apologized to “everyone involved in this situation,” while never directly offering an apology to Smith’s ex-wife Courtney. This lack of acknowledgment sends the message that Meyer either doesn’t get it or simply doesn’t care that someone else was hurt in this case.
This is the same Urban Meyer that claims honesty and treating women with respect as his core values – he even has them painted on the wall at the Buckeyes’ practice facility. He even dismissed players from his program for allegedly assaulting women during his tenure at Florida. Based on this evidence, one can’t help but wonder why Meyer apparently doesn’t hold someone on his coaching staff to the same standards.
Meyer’s personal connections seem to provide the answer. One of his mentors was the late Ohio State football coach Earle Bruce, who just happened to be Zach Smith’s grandfather. During his eulogy of Bruce, Meyer talked about the values Bruce taught during his tenure as the Buckeyes’ head coach. One value, in particular, was loyalty to family, former players and coaches. This kind of loyalty was something that could never be challenged. This value was very important to Bruce, who reportedly visited Courtney Smith and asked her to drop her allegations of domestic violence against Smith in 2009. Meyer adopted this value and displayed his loyalty to Zach Smith to a fault as he attempted to defuse the situation himself as opposed to disciplining his assistant coach.
Sadly, this isn’t the first case in sports where someone who has committed domestic violence or has been accused of it has been given chance after chance. Former NFL player Greg Hardy was signed by the Dallas Cowboys even after the disturbing details of his own domestic violence allegations emerged. Undefeated boxing champion Floyd Mayweather was convicted of abusing the mother of one of his children in 2001. His own son even testified that he witnessed Mayweather beat his mother in 2010 and Mayweather was sentenced to 90 days in jail. Unfortunately, these cases seem to be largely ignored as he is still allowed to fight.
The point here is not that sports figures shouldn’t be allowed to make a living. The point is that domestic violence needs to be taken more seriously. Athletes, coaches and others need to be held more accountable when someone is abused and they need to be more proactive when these allegations come to light. Ignoring the issue for the sake of winning or drawing big ratings don’t help themselves or the victims. When moral and legal responsibility becomes as important as winning or making money, everyone wins.
