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Topic: COOKED. Stir Fried.
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BillyTheCat
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Posted: 12/18/2025 11:46 AM
OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more
10tv just said it’s because of alcohol in his office. This dude doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
There’s has been alcohol in the office and other places in Peden and the Convo for decades. Hell the university legal council on campus kept a Decanter on his desk full of bourbon. This reason is BS.
Agreed . . . misdirection, probably by Smith's lawyers.
According to the Dispatch, that’s directly from the University
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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Posted: 12/18/2025 11:59 AM
BillyTheCat wrote:expand_more
10tv just said it’s because of alcohol in his office. This dude doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
There’s has been alcohol in the office and other places in Peden and the Convo for decades. Hell the university legal council on campus kept a Decanter on his desk full of bourbon. This reason is BS.
Agreed . . . misdirection, probably by Smith's lawyers.
According to the Dispatch, that’s directly from the University
The Dispatch Article I'm seeing is not actually doing any direct reporting. They're just citing reporting from The Athletic.

Quote:expand_more
Ohio University football coach Brian Smith was fired Dec. 17 for violating the school's alcohol policy, The Athletic has reported, citing documents that say he drank in his office.
And they're not even doing a good job of it, because The Athletic very explicitly says the following:

Quote:expand_more
It is unclear what connection, if any, Smith’s Nov. 25 reprimand had on him being placed on leave and later fired for cause.
The November 25th reprimand was the alcohol violation. It has not been reported anywhere that Smith was fired for violating the alcohol policy. Very poor reporting by the Dispatch.

Edit: This has now been added to the article: "Correction: An earlier version of this story mischaracterized The Athletic's reporting."
Last Edited: 12/18/2025 12:11:03 PM by Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
HeHateMiami
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Posted: 12/18/2025 12:17 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
Very poor reporting by the Dispatch.
It's not just there. This is what the headline looks like on X.com - https://imgur.com/a/lGuBIRb . I'm sure that's AI generated from what people are talking about on the platform, but most people won't spend effort trying to discern how accurate these headlines are.

You also have sports talk personalities posting about it (I remember seeing Mo Egger in Cincinnati, there have been others).

This is why I was saying last week that the university intentionally creating an information vacuum is a dangerous game.
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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Posted: 12/18/2025 12:18 PM
HeHateMiami wrote:expand_more
This is why I was saying last week that the university intentionally creating an information vacuum is a dangerous game.
Do you think headlines about what Smith actually did would be better for the University?
Diamond Cat
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Posted: 12/18/2025 12:33 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
This is why I was saying last week that the university intentionally creating an information vacuum is a dangerous game.
Do you think headlines about what Smith actually did would be better for the University?
Isn't that the biggest risk for Ohio? Unless it is a slam dunk, drop the mic documented violation.

Seems like it has to be alcohol reprimand + alleged student nurse rumor (ALLEGED NOT REPORTING ANY FACT).
HeHateMiami
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Posted: 12/18/2025 12:33 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
This is why I was saying last week that the university intentionally creating an information vacuum is a dangerous game.
Do you think headlines about what Smith actually did would be better for the University?
Well I don't know what he actually did, but I'll play along.

If the university fired him over something like having a bottle of bourbon in his office, that’s behavior people have seen across corporate America for decades, in real life and in pop culture. If that’s the level of misconduct at issue, it makes the university look shallow and disconnected from how professional workplaces actually operate.

On the other hand, if he was dismissed because of substantiated allegations of an inappropriate relationship or similar serious misconduct, that reflects poorly on Coach Smith, not on the university. In that case, decisive action would be exactly what many people would expect.
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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Posted: 12/18/2025 12:48 PM
HeHateMiami wrote:expand_more
If the university fired him over something like having a bottle of bourbon in his office, that’s behavior people have seen across corporate America for decades, in real life and in pop culture. If that’s the level of misconduct at issue, it makes the university look shallow and disconnected from how professional workplaces actually operate.
They clearly didn't fire him for this. There was a letter in his file that specifically did not result in termination. We all know that's not why he was fired, right?

HeHateMiami wrote:expand_more
On the other hand, if he was dismissed because of substantiated allegations of an inappropriate relationship or similar serious misconduct, that reflects poorly on Coach Smith, not on the university. In that case, decisive action would be exactly what many people would expect.
I agree.

But I think what you're pointing to is more about how it should be handled from a PR standpoint and the central question is basically whether or not the university should be releasing details about the misconduct at this point.

I'm not really sure, honestly. My instinct is that it's really not their role to do so, but that it's also inevitable that the details will eventually come out. If the goal for the University should be to justify their handling, I think you can make the case they should have communicated more detail.

But if the goal's to protect themselves from liability, I suspect their approach makes the most sense.
Cats5
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Posted: 12/18/2025 2:47 PM
Bobcatzblitz wrote:expand_more
10tv just said it’s because of alcohol in his office. This dude doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

So Ohio is a Dry Campus now?

Man there’s been an overdose of Smooth Brains on this Board lately 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Just saw the letter from the Pres. My bad. Good reporting on your part
HeHateMiami
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Posted: 12/18/2025 2:48 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
But I think what you're pointing to is more about how it should be handled from a PR standpoint and the central question is basically whether or not the university should be releasing details about the misconduct at this point.

I'm not really sure, honestly. My instinct is that it's really not their role to do so, but that it's also inevitable that the details will eventually come out. If the goal for the University should be to justify their handling, I think you can make the case they should have communicated more detail.

But if the goal's to protect themselves from liability, I suspect their approach makes the most sense.
This is fair. I’m approaching this more from a communications and credibility standpoint than a pure legal-liability one. Ideally, legal and communications should be working hand-in-hand to serve both objectives.

In a private workplace, privacy constraints are understandably tighter than they are at a public institution like OU. From the outside, this feels less like a legal requirement and more like a choice to remain vague.

I tend to find examples more persuasive than abstractions, so it’s useful to look at how other schools have handled similar situations.

IU Indy Dismisses Paul Corsaro wrote:expand_more
“Based on the complaints, the IU office of vice president and general counsel conducted an investigation and concluded that Corsaro’s behavior did not meet the university’s values and standards regarding the treatment of student athletes. Based on these conclusions, IU Indianapolis has dismissed Paul Corsaro.”
University of San Francisco Fires Coach Giarratano wrote:expand_more
"When the university first became aware of the complaints by students and families about the environment and behavior of coaches in the baseball program, we immediately conducted an internal investigation that led to the firing of Troy Nakamura and official reprimand of Nino Giarratano," McDermott said in a statement released by the school.

"The new allegations in the lawsuit as well as Giarratano's recent behavior in allowing Nakamura access to baseball operations is extremely concerning. As a result, we have taken actions to make changes in baseball program leadership."
Non-Coaching University Dismissal Example wrote:expand_more
“After an independent review, the University determined that the employee violated university policy regarding research integrity, and his employment is terminated effective immediately.”
Each provides a general rationale or category of misconduct without disclosing sensitive details. That kind of framing gives the public context and confidence in the decision-making process without airing allegations that could create legal exposure.

That balance is possible. OU simply chose not to strike it.
HeHateMiami
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Posted: 12/18/2025 3:10 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
This is why I was saying last week that the university intentionally creating an information vacuum is a dangerous game.
Do you think headlines about what Smith actually did would be better for the University?
You win. We look even stupider now: https://x.com/KieferMedia/status/2001736268141432989/photo/1
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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Posted: 12/18/2025 3:23 PM
HeHateMiami wrote:expand_more
This is why I was saying last week that the university intentionally creating an information vacuum is a dangerous game.
Do you think headlines about what Smith actually did would be better for the University?
You win. We look even stupider now: https://x.com/KieferMedia/status/2001736268141432989/photo/1
Well, I guess the cat is out of the bag now. I suspect this basically boils down to whether this happened in places where it shouldn't (i.e. university property) or if any university funds were spent to do so.
rpbobcat
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Posted: 12/18/2025 3:40 PM
In speaking to a couple of my friends who are divorce attorneys, separated or not not unless there is some type of written agreement allowing "fooling around" while you're separated, you're still married until a divorce is finalized.
GoCats105
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Posted: 12/18/2025 3:47 PM
rpbobcat wrote:expand_more
In speaking to a couple of my friends who are divorce attorneys, separated or not not unless there is some type of written agreement allowing "fooling around" while you're separated, you're still married until a divorce is finalized.
Well yeah, in a court of law. My brother still hasn't finalized his divorce with his ex and he's been in a different relationship for almost 2 years. Unless OU is just using a technical term for "extramarital" and not claiming he was having an affair, which doesn't seem to be the case.
Victory
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Posted: 12/18/2025 6:47 PM
GoCats105 wrote:expand_more
In speaking to a couple of my friends who are divorce attorneys, separated or not not unless there is some type of written agreement allowing "fooling around" while you're separated, you're still married until a divorce is finalized.
Well yeah, in a court of law. My brother still hasn't finalized his divorce with his ex and he's been in a different relationship for almost 2 years. Unless OU is just using a technical term for "extramarital" and not claiming he was having an affair, which doesn't seem to be the case.
It wouldn't seem that it would matter. It seems really doubtful that he could be fired for having an affair. It seems to hinge on if having an affair with an undergraduate is against the rules for University employees.
Last Edited: 12/18/2025 6:54:47 PM by Victory
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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Posted: 12/18/2025 7:17 PM
Victory wrote:expand_more
In speaking to a couple of my friends who are divorce attorneys, separated or not not unless there is some type of written agreement allowing "fooling around" while you're separated, you're still married until a divorce is finalized.
Well yeah, in a court of law. My brother still hasn't finalized his divorce with his ex and he's been in a different relationship for almost 2 years. Unless OU is just using a technical term for "extramarital" and not claiming he was having an affair, which doesn't seem to be the case.
It wouldn't seem that it would matter. It seems really doubtful that he could be fired for having an affair. It seems to hinge on if having an affair with an undergraduate is against the rules for University employees.
I think they're suggesting that he did at on University property, and that's the reference to the OU Inn. My guess is that this hinges on whether he used OU resources or facilities at all.
OhioCatFan
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Posted: 12/18/2025 8:44 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
In speaking to a couple of my friends who are divorce attorneys, separated or not not unless there is some type of written agreement allowing "fooling around" while you're separated, you're still married until a divorce is finalized.
Well yeah, in a court of law. My brother still hasn't finalized his divorce with his ex and he's been in a different relationship for almost 2 years. Unless OU is just using a technical term for "extramarital" and not claiming he was having an affair, which doesn't seem to be the case.
It wouldn't seem that it would matter. It seems really doubtful that he could be fired for having an affair. It seems to hinge on if having an affair with an undergraduate is against the rules for University employees.
I think they're suggesting that he did at on University property, and that's the reference to the OU Inn. My guess is that this hinges on whether he used OU resources or facilities at all.
The plural reference in that letter is a very important key: "This includes your participation in extramarital affairs, including one with an undergraduate student, to which you have admitted."
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