Ohio University fired football head coach Brian Smith after he was accused of having an extramarital affair with an undergraduate student, according to reports.
Smith, 45, was dismissed by the school on Wednesday for what was described ‘serious professional misconduct,’ shortly after he was placed on administrative leave for undisclosed reasons at the start of the month.
The exact reasons for Smith termination were not disclosed at the time and the coach and his attorney ‘vigorously dispute’ the grounds for dismissal provided by the university.
However, new light has now been shed on the mysterious circumstances surrounding Smith’s exit with reports claiming that he was accused of carrying on an inappropriate relationship with a student.
The Daily Mail has contacted Smith’s attorney for comment.
In a letter dated December 12 to Smith and obtained by Front Office Sports, OU President Lori Stewart Gonzalez claimed that the coach had admitted to engaging in extramarital affairs, including one with an unnamed student.
Ohio University fired coach Brian Smith after he was accused of having an affair with a student
The letter reportedly accused Smith of carrying on the relationship in part on campus at the Ohio University Inn.
However, as of Tuesday, Smith’s attorney, Rex Elliott, strongly denied the accusation, writing in a responding letter that ‘Coach Smith didn’t participate in an extramarital affair and you know it,’ per FOS.
The lawyer claims that the relationship, which he says lasted four months, began after Smith and his now-ex wife had separated and divorce proceedings were already underway.
Smith is said to have been unaware that the woman, who was not a member of the athletic department, was a student when he first met her at an establishment in Athens, according to Elliott’s letter. The coach is said to have ended the relationship in November.
Amid his divorce, Smith was said to be staying at the Ohio University Inn, while searching for an alternative place to live.
Elliott reportedly argued that the relationship was between consenting adults and that Ohio University has no policy prohibiting an employee from dating a student.
He also claimed that previous consensual relationships have taken place between OU members of staff and students but that they had not resulted in any employee being dismissed ‘for cause.’
Gonzalez also accused Smith of repeatedly using alcohol in your office, which reportedly violates university policy, and participating in a public appearance during which he ‘smelled strongly of alcohol and were intoxicated in your demeanor.’
Smith’s attorney further denied that the coach was ever inebriated at an OU event.
A third and final letter, dated Wednesday, from the college reportedly notified Smith of his official termination.
‘We vigorously dispute Ohio University’s grounds for the termination for cause of Coach Brian Smith,’ Elliott said in a statement provided to The Daily Mail.
‘He is shocked and dismayed by this turn of events, and we plan to fight this wrongful termination to protect his good name.
‘Coach Smith is an ethical man who has done an exemplary job for the University. He wants nothing but the best for the players, coaches, and the entire Bobcat community.’
More to follow.
