Ohio State Probe Shows Urban Meyer Allowed Bad Behavior for Years

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Urban Meyer may have weathered scandal at Ohio State, but not without a lasting stain as an exhaustive report detailed behavior that could easily have taken down a coach of lesser stature.

The investigation released soon after Meyer answered questions from reporters about his suspension Wednesday night showed that he tolerated bad behavior for years from assistant coach Zach Smith, including domestic-violence accusations, drug addiction, lies and other acts that directly clash with the values Meyer touts publicly.

The findings represent a new turn in the saga , showing how the superstar coach — who preaches "core values" like honesty, treating women with respect and not using drugs or stealing — failed to live up to those ideals when handling several issues squarely within his control while dealing with the grandson of legendary Ohio State coach Earle Bruce.

Ohio State issued Meyer a relatively light three-game suspension — granting enough leeway to still let him prep the Buckeyes for two games. He will also lose six weeks of salary in a year he's slated to earn $7.6 million under a deal that runs through 2022.

"Do I think 73-8 (Meyer's record at Ohio State) had something to do with it?" former UCLA coach and CBS analysts Rick Neuheisel said of Meyer's punishment. "The answer is yes. The answer is absolutely."

"The rules are not the same for everybody. That's no secret. The fact that Urban has been so good in terms of win-loss over the years certainly played in."

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.