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A couple weeks ago, I reported on the Big Ten Media Days, the annual event when everycoach tells you what a great off-season his team had – in the weight room, the classroom, and yes, the community.

About the only news that seemed to come out of those two days of interviews was Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh's short, simple answers to exceedingly silly or annoying questions.

But we didn't realize the big story had just been planted under our noses. The first night of the conference, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer fired one of his assistants, Zach Smith.

Five years earlier I saw Meyer handle another crisis that broke right before the Media Days with great aplomb¹. Four players were facing separate legal issues, and he simply released them from the team. Meyer took the podium, explained what happened and what they were doing about it, and answered a few questions. And just like that, it was over.

He followed the advice Michigan athletic² director Don Canham told me 20 years ago: "Never turn a one-day story into a two-day story."

Not so last month. When a reporter asked Meyer about Zach Smith, the receiver coach he had just fired, and if Meyer knew about Smith's 2015 domestic violence incident, Meyer forgot Canham's advice. Instead of simply saying, those are private legal issues we're sorting through, Meyer said he was never told about anything about it, never had a conversation about it, and the people in his office knew nothing. No how, and no way.

But it quickly came to light that what Meyer said simply wasn't true. He was also challenging the credibility of the story's author, Brett McMurphy – who happened to havethe time, the ability, and the motivation to dig deeper. He soon got Smith's wife on the record, contradicting many of Meyers' claims.

Ohio State felt it had no choice but to put Meyer on paid administrative³ leave, while an internal committee investigated the situation. We don't know yet what they will find or report, or what Ohio State will do about it.

But we have learned Zach Smith was such an ineffective coach that Meyer barely let him coach at all. Smith would roam the sidelines during practice singing rap songs for $340-thousand a year, while two coaches did his job.

So why keep Smith? Because he's the grandson of former Ohio State coach Earle Bruce,who was Meyer's lifelong mentor⁴. Another reason could be a threat from Smith, who told his wife if he was punished, "I'll take everyone at Ohio State down with me."

When Meyer recognized he'd screwed up and his job was in jeopardy⁵, he released a carefully worded statement that said, in part, "My words must be clear and completely accurate...Unfortunately I failed..."

That was smart. So now we're waiting for the committee to conclude its report, but I wouldn't hold your breath. When most pundits⁶ were predicting Meyer could never survive this, I said Ohio State will not fire Urban Meyer, because he's simply too good a coach, with six division titles, two Big Ten titles, and three national titles at Ohio State and Florida.

Instead, they will give Meyer a formal rebuke⁷ and suspend him for a few games. But not only will Meyer be coaching in November against Michigan, I bet he'll be coaching in September against Penn State, the second biggest game on the Buckeyes' schedule.

Of course, the investigators⁸ could find more than we expect, or Meyer's bosses couldchange their minds. But I doubt it.

In hindsight, Harbaugh's short answers might not have been the biggest story of Big Ten Media Days.

1 aplomb   

n.沉着，镇静

参考例句：

• Carried off the difficult situation with aplomb.镇静地应付了困难的局面。
• She performs the duties of a princess with great aplomb.她泰然自若地履行王妃的职责。

2 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

3 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

4 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

5 jeopardy   

n.危险；危难

参考例句：

• His foolish behaviour may put his whole future in jeopardy.他愚蠢的行为可能毁了他一生的前程。
• It is precisely at this juncture that the boss finds himself in double jeopardy.恰恰在这个关键时刻，上司发现自己处于进退两难的境地。

6 pundits   

n.某一学科的权威，专家( pundit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pundits disagree on the best way of dealing with the problem. 如何妥善处理这一问题，专家众说纷纭。 来自辞典例句
• That did not stop Chinese pundits from making a fuss over it. 这并没有阻止中国的博学之士对此大惊小怪。 来自互联网

7 rebuke   

v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise

参考例句：

• He had to put up with a smart rebuke from the teacher.他不得不忍受老师的严厉指责。
• Even one minute's lateness would earn a stern rebuke.哪怕迟到一分钟也将受到严厉的斥责。

8 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》