Now that the saga over Urban Meyer’s handling of Zach Smith is over (for now), it’s clear that the Ohio State beat writers, local and statewide journalists, have been a tremendous failure for several years, and had they been more responsible in their reporting from the get-go, they may have even helped OSU avoid the fallout of the last few days and weeks.

Let’s recap the information that is available in public records about Zach Smith.

• 2009 incident in Florida throwing a pregnant wife against the wall.

• 2013 OVI (DUI) arrest, field sobriety test failure, plea bargain conviction

• Constant 911 calls

• 2015 domestic violence incident and arrest or maybe not arrest

• 2015 and 2016 traffic incidents that Zach failed to show up in court for

• Bench warrant issued for his arrest after he failed to appear

• And the kicker, a protection order filed against Smith on July 23 - reported not by the locals, but by Brett McMurphy!

This is only the public record - available to anyone who can do a simple internet search or public records request! It doesn’t include all the salacious details we now know about his messy divorce, the photos of Courtney’s bruises and cuts, the ongoing menacing and stalking, the office affair and sex addiction, strip club trip, and who knows what else.  Much of this was surely known to the OSU insiders and they willingly covered it up or feigned ignorance to cover for King Urban and his Merry Men.

When Zach Smith joined OSU’s staff, he already had baggage from his days working for Meyer in Florida. He had a rap sheet, allegedly throwing a pregnant Courtney against a wall in an argument that came from him bringing a female coworker home from a party!  

With this history, the OSU media should have been watching this guy like a hawk. The media should have made Meyer answer for choosing to hire him in the first place. They should have uncovered the fact that Meyer’s henchmen Hiram and Earle pressured Courtney to drop charges.  Zach Smith at OSU should have never happened and the OSU sports media should have demanded answers from the beginning.

Because they should have been monitoring Zach’s every move, they should have been immediately aware of the repeated 911 calls, the OVI arrest and conviction, the ongoing domestic violence incidents and the bench warrant for Smith’s arrest.  They should have known that he blew their new house’s down payment on hookers and booze. If Smith couldn’t rent a car on a recruiting trip, they should have known. This guy was a ticking time bomb, and my guess is that some of the insiders were aware of his issues - Ramzy Nassrallah at 11w even says, "Literally everybody knew." Their choice to keep it quiet is a failure that contributed to this embarrassing circus of an investigation and Meyer’s suspension.

Let’s go a step further.  Not only should the beat have been monitoring public records, but don’t tell me a neighbor, coworker, chatty police officer, bartender, or Smith’s kid’s classmate didn’t know about his habits and tell someone.  The OSU beat should have had a microphone permanently set up outside his home, a GPS tracker on his car, and slipped a Benjamin to any bartender willing to dish on his antics.

To be clear, I’m not suggesting that the local media should be checking up on every coach, every day, in every program. The point is that Zach Smith came to OSU with a record and this should have prompted the media to monitor him very closely in Columbus, and the focus should have become even sharper when word started to get around that he was still a scumbag.

Following the Michigan sports beat, I can assure you, if a Michigan football coach so much as jaywalked in Ann Arbor, some beat writer, blog poster, or radio host would speak up or put it on the Internet. Ann Arbor’s a little smaller than Columbus, but I’m sure there are ears on the ground in Ohio too.

The ultimate irony here is that OSU media probably could have saved Meyer from suspension and saved the university's tarnished reputation by just doing their jobs as journalists.  By covering this walking disaster of a coach from the beginning, they could have outed him years ago, given Meyer the air cover to get rid of him and look like the hero they want him to be. Instead, they kept this hushed up in deference to King Meyer; and their beloved coach got a suspension, the entire administration is a national disgrace, and Meyer’s legacy has a new permanent stain. And the local beat could have stopped it.  See something, say something! For God's sake it's literally your job to say things. 

Zach Smith’s attorney Brad Koffel recently subtweeted Stadium’s Brett McMurphy by posting the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics, suggesting McMurphy’s reporting on the situation at OSU was untruthful, biased, or not independent.  The OSU sports media would do well to review at least two of the Code’s requirements: “Act Independently” and “Seek Truth and Report It.” By trying to protect the program, the OSU sports media actually harmed it.

Let's close with some real talk. Just to be clear, I'm looking at you - at Eleven Warriors, Land Grant Holy Land, Bucknuts, Jeff Snook, Tim May, Bill Rabinowitz, and anyone I’m missing. You failed in a big way, a man that you cover was abusing a woman, breaking all sorts of laws, and misusing his public post, and you said nothing.  Be better next time. 

And a note to Brian and the team here at MGoBlog and all other Michigan insiders - you're on notice.  Never forget you have a part to play if anything at Michigan starts to go off the rails and you hear about it. One of your greatest moments was THIS IS NOT MICHIGAN and you should see this as a reminder that you can and must use your platform to hold the U of M to a high ethical standard.