Meyer says media reports were incorrect
Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer is pushing back on the reasons for his three-game suspension with claims that don’t fully square with details laid out in the investigation that led to his punishment.
Meyer tweeted a statement Friday that he says intends to clarify what he calls incorrect media reports about his suspension.
Meyer was suspended three games for mismanaging former wide receivers coach Zach Smith, who has been accused of domestic abuse by his ex-wife, Courtney Smith. Investigators say Meyer didn’t properly handle the abuse claims and other bad behavior from the assistant coach.
Meyer says it’s not accurate that he was suspended because he “knew about or condoned Zach Smith’s alleged domestic abuse.”
Investigators say Meyer knew about several allegations against the coach before the coach was fired. The report also said Meyer didn’t think there was enough to report Smith’s issues to compliance officers, which investigators called a misunderstanding of the reporting requirements.
Meyer also says: “I did not lie at Big Ten Media Days” when he told reporters he didn’t know about accusations against Smith. Houston, figures to start at power forward alongside this year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, center Deandre Ayton.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith is facing charges he broke the cellphone of a fan who tried to take video of him in the middle of the night outside a Manhattan pizzeria . ... The Oklahoma City Thunder waived forward Kyle Singler. The 6-foot-8, 228-pound Singler started in 22 games and appeared in a total of 138 over four years with the Thunder.
Tiffany Hayes had 23 points and 11 rebounds and the Atlanta Dream beat the Washington Mystics 81-76 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five WNBA semifinal series. Brittney Sykes scored 17 points, and Elizabeth Williams had 14 for the Dream . ... DeWanna Bonner scored 27 points to lead the Phoenix Mercury to an 86-66 victory over the Seattle Storm in the other semifinal.
Usain Bolt’s soccer debut for the Central Coast Mariners in Gosford, Australia, lasted about 20 minutes against an amateur local team and with almost 10,000 people in the crowd.
The eight-time Olympic gold medalist is trying to become a professional soccer player and has been given a tryout with the Australian A-League club based in Gosford, north of Sydney.
Bolt started on the left wing and had a clumsy first touch, but settled in and found himself in scoring positions a couple of times before having a stoppage-time shot blocked.
Justin Rose shot a six-under 65 for a one-shot lead in the Dell Technologies Championship at Norton, Mass. Tiger Woods had to rally to salvage a 72.
Georgia Hall shot a nine-under 63 to take a three-stroke lead in the Cambia Portland Classic and break the tournament’s 36-hole record.
Tony Romo advanced through pre-qualifying in the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament, shooting a two-over 74 at Lantana Golf Club in Texas.
Christian Coleman became the fastest sprinter of the season when he won the 100 meters in 9.79 seconds and beat favored U.S. compatriot Ronnie Baker to win the Diamond League trophy at the Van Damme Memorial in Brussels.
Not a month into her new job as chief executive of the U.S. Olympic Committee, Sarah Hirshland has seen enough from USA Gymnastics. She’s calling for yet another shake-up in the federation’s leadership as it tries to remake itself in the wake of the Larry Nassar sexabuse scandal.
Hirshland sent out a statement calling for changes in the USA Gymnastics leadership, only hours after the federation awkwardly fired the coach it had hired only three days earlier as its elite program coordinator.
The coach, Mary Lee Tracy, was an early supporter of Nassar when allegations against him began to surface.
Then, without permission this week, Tracy reached out to one of her fiercest critics, goldmedalist Aly Raisman, who is suing USAG.