Ohio Won’t Say Why It Put Its Football Coach on Leave

Ohio University had a strong football season.

The Bobcats went 8–4, finished near the top of the MAC, and will play UNLV in the Frisco Bowl.

Then, on Dec. 1, the school placed first-year head coach Brian Smith on leave “for an undetermined period of time.”

The school is staying silent on the issue and won’t explain why it benched Smith. That decision is leading to widespread speculation and criticism from student media.

On Dec. 2, Smith’s attorney told the school’s public TV and radio station, WOUB, that the coach was asked to leave in the middle of the work day without any explanation for why he was going on paid leave. The attorney said no allegations or charges have been brought against Smith, denied any wrongdoing, and said they will fight any future claims against him.

Two days later, the attorney told WOUB that Smith still hadn’t been given a formal reason for the school’s decision, but was looking forward to returning to his players and staff as soon as possible.

Smith became head coach last December after spending three seasons in Athens under Tim Albin, who left that month for Charlotte. But Smith didn’t have an official contract with the school until October, one day after USA Today reported he didn’t have one. (It’s not unheard of for coaches to work under a term sheet or memorandum of understanding while a contract is formalized.)

The coach was set to make about $850,000 for this season, according to USA Today. And, the contract said, Dec. 1 was a key deadline for his $2.5 million buyout.

If the school had fired Smith without cause before Dec. 1, it would’ve owed him the entire base salary left on his deal, equal to $2,511,250. Starting Dec. 1, if Smith decided to leave, he or his new employer would’ve owed that amount back to the university.

The timing suggests that Ohio could be trying to avoid paying a full buyout. And, by placing Smith on paid leave without firing him, the university could be trying to avoid a wrongful termination lawsuit—like the one filed by former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, whose agent was “very, very satisfied” with the settlement he reached with his alma mater.

Smith is also going through a divorce, many filings of which have been placed under seal. One that was briefly public, filed on Dec. 3 by his ex-wife’s attorney, said that “nothing [she] has alleged is the cause of [Smith’s] current situation at Ohio University,” however, she “does not know what the specific issues are.”

Her attorney and Smith’s both did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday while they were attending an emergency motion hearing for the case.

According to court filings, the two sides finalized the divorce on Tuesday.

The Athens Police Department told FOS it doesn’t have any information or reports about Smith. Ohio University Campus Police did not respond to questions.

The university did not immediately answer questions about what is preventing them from sharing more information about Smith.

Defensive coordinator John Hauser is serving as interim head coach.