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Topic: RE: What’s up with Smith?

Topic: RE: What’s up with Smith?

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71 BOBCAT
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/5/2025 2:44:06 PM

Suppose this is an NCAA violation.... Sunday is bowl game announcement day....
I would think that an announcement would come out before then so if we needed to be pulled out of a Bowl Game opportunity it would not have an impact on the opposition.
Here we are on Friday and still no announcement. What gives? 2 Days to Sunday.

GO BOBCATS

Scott Woods
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/5/2025 3:13:21 PM

71 BOBCAT wrote:

The NCAA rarely moves that quickly so even if it's an NCAA violation, I don't see it impacting the bowl game this year. *Maybe* they'd move that fast if it was a gambling issue.

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Mike Coleman
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/5/2025 3:17:50 PM

Scott Woods wrote:

71 BOBCAT wrote:

The NCAA rarely moves that quickly so even if it's an NCAA violation, I don't see it impacting the bowl game this year. *Maybe* they'd move that fast if it was a gambling issue.

I believe if it were an NCAA violation, there would be another party involved and/or sanctioned, like a player or booster. And the NCAA files public notices of violations. And coaches like Harbaugh for the most part coach until the punishment comes down. So I'm thinking pretty much "No" on that at the moment, but never say never, I guess.

MonroeClassmate
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/5/2025 6:18:14 PM

SBH wrote:

This approach mirrors the wrestling program investigation. And the Marching 110 investigation. And...

Yes, it does.

The University is probably zipped tight because unlike the wrestling team and the Marching 110, Mr. Smith has a lawyer and any defamation to Mr. Smith's reputation will lead to yOUr donations going to the award Mr. Smith will receive.

OhioCatFan
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/5/2025 7:02:38 PM

MonroeClassmate wrote:

SBH wrote:

This approach mirrors the wrestling program investigation. And the Marching 110 investigation. And...

Mr. Smith would probably have to prove actual malice, as he would be considered a public figure. This would necessitate that he prove that the statements made by the university were done either by issuing a knowingly false statement, or by reckless disregard for the truth or falsity of their statement. This is a high bar. However, I'm sure you are right that they want to avoid a defamation suit, even if they'd ultimately win it, because such a suit would get ugly.

And, I think SBH's point was about the similarity in the university's handling of these three situations, not the differences. As I recall, they weren't giving anyone, including those directly involved, any information in those situations either. They were kind of "zipped tight" in those situations, too. In retrospect, the university did not come off looking very good in either of those situations. Keeping that approach here, may end up biting them again.

The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA

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Mike Coleman
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/5/2025 7:34:44 PM

Interesting to note, Ohio's 2023 wrestling season ended on March 16, and the coaches were put on leave March 17. Greenlee and one assistant were reinstated on July 31st. So that's four and 1/2 months. The third coach remained on leave for awhile after that. Makes me think if we had advanced to Detroit, this would be happening next week.

The difference is the university issued a press release (as it did for the 110) listing general circumstances regarding the allegations. In the wrestling case, it was an OUPD investigation regarding injuries sustained at practice. In the 110's case, it was an OU Community Standards investigation that took six months to find out that some kids ate a few edibles and called each other stupid on occasion.

So don't expect anything soon, I suppose.

BillyTheCat
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/5/2025 8:54:15 PM

MonroeClassmate wrote:

SBH wrote:

This approach mirrors the wrestling program investigation. And the Marching 110 investigation. And...

You don’t think the wrestling coach didn’t have. Lawyer?

And to other posts, that is NOT how the NCAA works. Not only as other posters alluded to on moving that fast, they also send a letter which is public that they are opening an investigation and then they hire a law firm and investigators come to town. It is a 1-2 year process and they comb everything.

OhioCatFan
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/5/2025 11:02:46 PM

Mike Coleman wrote:

Correct me if I'm wrong, Mike, but after the university issued those news releases didn't they clam up, like they are doing in the Brian Smith case, and say nothing else for the longest time. I think that was what SBH was alluding to.

Mike Coleman
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/6/2025 9:56:30 AM

OhioCatFan wrote:

Mike Coleman wrote:

Correct. But at least the original releases contained the general allegations or incidents, as well as the investigative agency or department involved. With Smith, nothing. I imagine different types of investigations may require different types of disclosures.

Wrestling:
https://www.ohio.edu/news/2023/03/ohio-university-provide...

Marching 110:
https://www.ohio.edu/news/2019/10/university-provides-upd...

Last Edited: 12/6/2025 10:02:21 AM by Mike Coleman

Mike Coleman
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/6/2025 10:07:02 AM

Also of note, neither investigation led to the dismissal of leadership. The wrestling coaching staff is exactly the same as it was on March 17, 2023.

OhioCatFan
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/6/2025 10:27:31 AM

Mike Coleman wrote:

Also of note, neither investigation led to the dismissal of leadership. The wrestling coaching staff is exactly the same as it was on March 17, 2023.

I'd be happy, but very surprised if we have the same outcome this time.

HeHateMiami
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/6/2025 12:52:45 PM

Mike Coleman wrote:

Also of note, neither investigation led to the dismissal of leadership. The wrestling coaching staff is exactly the same as it was on March 17, 2023.

Also the 110 investigation was a little different in that OU was looking into the organization, not necessarily the director. OU conducted interviews with many of the student members and news of what they seemingly focused on/asking about was leaking out just based on the sheer number of people involved. I'm not sure that it was getting into the press, but it wasn't as tight of a lid back in 2019, I think that was.

Of course the whole administration has more/less turned over since then, so I'm not sure how similar things would be anyways.

Andrew Ruck
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/6/2025 1:23:17 PM

My uninformed and possible dead wrong take on the 110 thing was it stemmed from a handful of aggressive parents of kids who led quite sheltered lives and blamed everything their sweet babies did on 110 leadership and culture.

Andrew Ruck
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ExCat21
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/6/2025 6:03:38 PM

DC_United47 wrote:

Mike Coleman wrote:

spongeBOB CATpants wrote:

Mike Coleman wrote:

I get it we are all frustrated with the lack of information. Not gonna lie though people, these things often take months.

That's the thing though. If the university thought this would take months, why issue the statement and ask him to leave now? Days before signing day with literally no details and keeping him out of the bowl (potentially).

Perhaps the Athletic Department doesn't know the details of the allegations either.

IF --emphasis on if -- it's in Title IX or ECRC, I don't believe any of it is, or will be, public record. They operate within federal guidelines. It's not exactly red robe stuff, but it's far from the sunshine of a court of law.

This is something that's been bouncing around in my brain all week...if it's not a legal issue (no police charges or investigations) then it's probably a NCAA or school rule issue. I don't know enough about NCAA rules or Title IX, but if it's something like that then there wouldn't be a police paper trail.

Something not against the law but against the rules?
And is the university protecting itself by removing him from his job until it knows the scope of the problem?

From what I know about the situation, this is isolated and solely on the coach. Players and bowl status would not affect this. They will get an invite Sunday and accept. Let the process play out. Hopefully he can prove his innocence.

HeHateMiami
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/6/2025 7:13:18 PM

Andrew Ruck wrote:

Not dead wrong, that was definitely a part of it. I'd say other factors back then were jealousy from students in other organizations (some of the reports came from students not affiliated with the 110) and an overzealous member of the Dean of Students office who either had some sort of axe to grind or thought this would be his ticket to career advancement... he found greener pastures a couple months after the investigation found no hazing.

rpbobcat
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/8/2025 7:10:44 AM

Very Good article in The Post about O.U. needing to explain what's going on.

STVCastle
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/8/2025 9:01:03 AM

rpbobcat wrote:

Very Good article in The Post about O.U. needing to explain what's going on.

https://www.thepostathens.com/article/2025/12/ohio-univer...

SBH
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/8/2025 10:18:23 AM

Well-written column but a bit naive. Does the author expect the university to specify the allegations, which might be utterly unfounded? Imagine the damage to the coach's/program's reputation (and recruiting) if they turn out to be false. It's hard to write this, but I trust the lawyers on this one.

L.C.
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/8/2025 10:48:15 AM

SBH wrote:

I tend to agree. It's not really a "crisis", so I don't think that crisis management advice really applies. At some point, they will have resolved the investigation to the point where more information can be released, and I think we need to just be patient in the meantime.

Last Edited: 12/8/2025 10:48:55 AM by L.C.

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Mike Coleman
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/8/2025 10:53:38 AM

SBH wrote:

I agree. Well written, but... You can also tell her major was corporate PR with little or any legal reporting experience. Often, it's not the accused withholding publicity of allegations but the alleged victim. Saying that generally not specifically to the instance necessarily.

colobobcat66
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/8/2025 11:20:35 AM

L.C. wrote:

SBH wrote:

There’s a case that can be made that the university could have released more information than they did and not hurt anybody’s standing. What not say : it’s not NCAA related, he’s on paid leave, or whatever else that’s not really indicative of other details?

HeHateMiami
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/8/2025 1:17:23 PM

Mike Coleman wrote:

SBH wrote:

But there’s a massive middle ground between “tell us everything” and “say almost nothing,” and that’s where OU fell short. The vague initial statement “on leave for an undetermined period of time” with no framing whatsoever left the public to fill in the blanks. Some people assumed a health issue, others assumed possible NCAA violations, and within hours the rumor mill was digging for divorce documents, reporting on homes being put on the market and inventing narratives the school never intended.

The article may overreach in spots, but she’s right about the core point: crisis-comms practice stresses owning the first version of the story even when you can’t disclose specifics.

Other schools have handled this much better without violating anyone’s rights.

Washington’s softball program put Heather Tarr on leave last year and immediately said it was a personnel matter, not a safety issue and not NCAA-related. That single sentence kept speculation contained.

Baylor did the same with an assistant football coach: they said it was a non-criminal personnel issue and confirmed there were no student-athlete safety concerns. They didn’t reveal anything sensitive, but they set guardrails so the public understood the basic category of issue.

Both coaches ultimately returned after their reviews concluded.

That’s the middle ground OU didn’t use. You obviously can’t share allegations, but you can responsibly tell people what kind of situation this is or isn’t. If the intent was to protect Smith’s privacy, the ambiguity is doing him a disservice.

Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/8/2025 1:46:48 PM

HeHateMiami wrote:

The article may overreach in spots, but she’s right about the core point: crisis-comms practice stresses owning the first version of the story even when you can’t disclose specifics.

I get your point broadly, but think you're missing a key point here: it's pretty obvious -- and everybody who is tapped into the rumor says the same -- that Smith did something bad. I don't know what, but everybody who hears rumors comes back here to basically say "oof, he's not coming back."

My personal sense -- which is just a guess -- is that the crisis actually doesn't arrive until the details come out. And that the actual PR battle they're waging is one with a goal of moving on from Smith without tons of very messy details coming out.

Based on the school's approach and based on the approach of Smith and his lawyer, it seems like both sides are pretty aligned on that. It's not like Smith's team is going scorched earth here trying to own the narrative. And this is a much bigger crisis for him than for OU.

Last Edited: 12/8/2025 1:48:10 PM by Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame

M.D.W.S.T
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/8/2025 1:55:21 PM

HeHateMiami wrote:

That’s the middle ground OU didn’t use. You obviously can’t share allegations, but you can responsibly tell people what kind of situation this is or isn’t. If the intent was to protect Smith’s privacy, the ambiguity is doing him a disservice.

Been my gripe all along.

The vagueness has allowed all these things people keep saying isn't happening, to happen.

Nothing has happened in the last week, we've learned nothing, no bombshell reports, no charges, no allegations made by outside parties, no reason as far as the eye can see for a forced release. They're not covering their ass or protecting anyones privacy, on the contrary, they've opened him up to embarrassment and scrutiny while everyone now knows some sort of perceived wrongdoing and investigation into such is ongoing.

The only thing we now all know is he's going through a nasty divorce, he's trying to liquidate or protect some assets, he's trying to purchase a home, this involves his child. All things I'm certain he didn't want brought up on online forums and sports websites.

As far as Brian is concerned, he's probably feeling like his new AD, and the University aren't on his side and DID NOT protect his privacy. Which is going to leave a really bad taste in his mouth if he's brought back.

IF he is fired, and some of the rumors are true, OU didn't protect itself from scrutiny for the vague response, you're just open to more. No one is going to be like, WOW OU really nailed this. They're gonna say you put out a vague report attempting to cover your ass, and didn't, while you knew he did xyz. Making it public that you're investigating him for (secrets), isn't going to change the language around being fired for cause. It's just fodder for this board to say, I trust the lawyers. This is pr 101.

Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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RE: What’s up with Smith?

Posted: 12/8/2025 2:18:05 PM

M.D.W.S.T wrote:

]

As far as Brian is concerned, he's probably feeling like his new AD, and the University aren't on his side and DID NOT protect his privacy. Which is going to leave a really bad taste in his mouth if he's brought back.

They aren't on his side. They are in the process of firing him.

If you accept that that's the case -- and there are a whole bunch of really good reasons to do so -- the University's approach here makes a whole lot more sense.

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