Will Urban Meyer Be Fired?

Will Urban Meyer keep his job as head football coach of the Ohio State University Buckeyes? According to online sportsbook BetMyBookie, the odds are greater that Meyer will be fired before the first game of the 2018 season.

OddsShark shared the odds on twitter. The question was: Will Urban Meyer be fired as head coach of the Ohio State football team before Game 1? The results were:

Yes -200
No +160

Here’s what the numbers mean: If someone bets $100 that Urban Meyer will NOT be fired and is correct, that person would win $160. If a gambler bets $100 that Urban Meyer WILL be fired and is correct, that person would cash in a net earning of $50.

The Ohio State University announced Urban Meyer’s immediate suspension on August 1. He was placed on paid administrative leave, with Ryan Day taking over as acting head coach in the meantime.

Urban Meyer is under pressure because of a controversy surrounding former assistant coach Zach Smith. Smith was fired on July 24 amid accusations of domestic violence against his now ex-wife. Smith was accused in 2015 of stalking Courtney Smith and reportedly resulted in a restraining order. Smith has not been convicted of any crime.

The problem now is whether Urban Meyer knew about the situation. Meyer told reporters that he had been aware of domestic abuse allegations in 2009, and had suggested the Smiths get counseling.

Meyer told reporters he did not know about further domestic violence allegations from 2015. But new evidence contradicts that claim.

Journalist Brett McMurphy shared in a Facebook post on August 1 that he had obtained text messages shared between Courtney Smith and Shelley Meyer. Courtney allegedly told Shelley about the abuse, and Shelley asked Courtney if she had gotten a restraining order. If these texts are legitimate, it calls Urban Meyer’s claim of ignorance into serious question.

Courtney Smith spoke with sports network “Stadium” about the situation. She claims that when she confided in Shelley Meyer, Shelley had said she would have to tell Urban what was going on. Courtney admitted, however, that she does not know whether Shelley DID in fact ever tell Urban about the situation.

The question now will be whether Ohio State University believes Urban Meyer’s assertion that he was unaware of the 2015 domestic abuse allegations. Ohio State football kicks off its season on September 1 at home against Oregon State.

Urban Meyer is the highest paid public-school football coach in the United States. He is set to earn $7.6 million for the 2018 season. You can read more about Meyer’s salary and net worth in the link below: