Ohio State Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer fired assistant Zach Smith on Monday, days after an Ohio judge deemed him an imminent danger to his ex-wife.
Smith was charged with criminal trespassing after dropping his children off at the home of his ex-wife, Courtney Smith, against her wishes in May. Zach Smith appeared in court last week for a pre-trial hearing that was rescheduled to Aug. 3. Days later, Courtney Smith requested and was granted a personal protection order that requires her ex-husband to stay 500 feet away from her.
College football reporter Brett McMurphy reported Monday two prior domestic assault accusations against Zach Smith that occurred in 2009 and 2015. Ohio State announced the decision to terminate Zach Smith at 6 p.m. Monday. Meyer is scheduled to speak to reporters at Big Ten media days Tuesday morning in Chicago.
Zach Smith’s attorney, Brad Koffel, said the protection order against his client was “clearly retaliatory” when speaking to ESPN on Monday prior to Smith’s dismissal from the program.
“She wants to ruin Zach’s career,” Koffel said.
Zach Smith did not answer when called for comment.
The prior domestic assault accusations against Smith occurred while he was on Meyer’s staffs at Florida and Ohio State. Smith was arrested in 2015 on a felony count of domestic violence after an incident that resulted in unspecified injuries and showed evidence of sustained abuse, according to McMurphy’s report. Smith’s attorney said he was not aware of the 2015 charge.
Smith, the grandson of former Ohio State head coach Earle Bruce, coached wide receivers and was the Buckeyes’ recruiting coordinator. Ohio State said it will announce his replacement at a later date.