Ohio University fired its head football coach, Brian Smith, after he admitted to having an extramarital affair with an undergraduate student, according to records obtained by USA TODAY.
Smith’s contract was terminated for cause, the university announced on Wednesday, Dec. 17, after he had been placed on leave on Dec. 1. Smith has vowed to fight his termination after one season of coaching the Bobcats.
Smith is accused of carrying on a relationship with the student on campus at the Ohio University Inn, in a letter dated Dec. 12 from Smith from Ohio University President Lori Stewart Gonzalez. The letter from the president states that a student-athlete’s family observed the relationship between Smith and the student.
Also in the letter, the university alleges that Smith ‘participated in a public appearance where he smelled strongly of alcohol and appeared intoxicated.’
Previously, the university had only accused the coach of ‘engaging in serious professional misconduct and participating in activities that reflect unfavorably on the university,’ without going into further details.
Smith’s Columbus-based attorney, Rex Elliott, defended his client in a prepared statement.
‘He (Smith) is shocked and dismayed by this turn of events, and we plan to fight this wrongful termination to protect his good name,’ Elliott said in the statement. ‘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.’
The response letter also said that Smith was living at the Ohio University Inn while searching for a new place to live, due to the divorce. Elliott also added in the letter that Smith ended the relationship in early November.
The attorney also said that the student was not a member of the athletic department and that the relationship was between consenting adults. Elliott also noted that Ohio University has no policy prohibiting an employee from dating a student.
In the letter obtained by The Dispatch, Elliott also added that Smith was never inebriated at an Ohio University event.
