Zach Smith pleads guilty to disorderly conduct, accepts three-year protection order

By Oct 23, 2018, 9:16 PM EDT
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The criminal case that sent the Ohio State football program and its head coach hurtling into controversy this offseason has come to an end.

According to court documents, former OSU assistant Zach Smith has pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct.  Smith had been cited for criminal trespassing in May; in exchange for his plea agreement, that charge was dropped.

The Delaware County (OH) judge overseeing the case ordered Smith to pay $289 in fines and court fees.  Additionally, Smith’s ex-wife, Courtney Smith, received a three-year protection order against her ex-husband.  On Twitter, however, and continuing his social media beef with college football reporter Brett McMurphy, Zach Smith took issue with his ex-wife being “awarded” a protection order, writing that he “REQUESTED the Mutual Order for LIFE” but was advised by his legal team “to just do a 3-year (protection order).”

“AND I pled ‘guilty’ to a minor misdemeanor to avoid the cost of a trial because they wanted to end this,” Smith added.

In mid-July, reports surfaced that showed Zach Smith had been cited for criminal trespassing in May of this year in connection to an alleged domestic incident involving his ex-wife.  Not long after, other reports that Smith had physically abused his ex-wife helped lead to the Buckeyes firing him as OSU’s wide receivers coach on July 23.

As he has done repeatedly, Smith again denied every abusing his ex-wife.

“As I have stated from day one, I was falsely accused of very serious allegations that should not be taken lightly,” Smith wrote in a lengthy statement posted to Twitter Tuesday evening. “Domestic Violence is a horrific crime and as a father to two beautiful daughters of whom I adore, I have been destroyed over the public perception and media’s spin on things that came out. …

“This practice of ruining a human being and their family before truths can come out is archaic and directly opposed to how the judicial process is designed to work.”

Courtney Smith had claimed in interviews that Urban Meyer was aware of the allegations of domestic abuse, which dated back to when Meyer and Zach Smith were at Florida.  The head coach had initially denied he knew of incidents of abuse in 2015, although he subsequently clarified that he had “failed” to be “completely accurate” when confronted with questions at the Big Ten Media Days in late July.

As part of the fallout from the domestic situation, Meyer was placed on paid administrative leave in early August as questions into his handling of domestic abuse allegations made against his now-former assistant coach surfaced.  The university launched an investigation into Meyer’s actions and, as a result of that investigation, the coach was suspended for the first three games of the 2018 season.

Zach Smith has never been convicted of domestic violence.  Courtney Smith’s mother had previously gone on the record to state that she doesn’t believe her ex-son-in-law every intentionally abused her daughter.

Vick, Fitzgerald and Suggs among stars on College Football Hall of Fame ballot for 1st time

Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 9:04 PM EDT
RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
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Michael Vick, Larry Fitzgerald and Terrell Suggs are among the college football stars who will be considered for induction to the Hall of Fame for the first time this year.

The National Football Foundation released Monday a list of 78 players and nine coaches from major college football who are on the Hall of Fame ballot. There also are 101 players and 32 coaches from lower divisions of college football up for consideration.

Vick, who led Virginia Tech to the BCS championship game against Florida State as a redshirt freshman in 1999, is among the most notable players appearing on the ballot in his first year of eligibility.

Vick finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1999. He played one season of college football before being drafted No. 1 overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 2001. Vick’s professional career was interrupted when he served 21 months in prison for his involvement in dog fighting.

Fitzgerald was the Heisman runner-up in 2003 to Oklahoma quarterback Jason White. He scored 34 touchdowns in just two seasons at Pitt.

Suggs led the nation in sacks with 24 in 2002 for Arizona State.

The 2024 Hall of Fame class will be chosen by the National Football Foundation’s Honors Court and announced in January. Induction into the Atlanta-based hall is the following December.

Alabama freshman DB Mitchell says he wasn’t sure he’d get to play again after arrest

Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 8:59 PM EDT
Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama defensive back Tony Mitchell said he feared his football career was over after his arrest on a drug charge.

The Crimson Tide freshman said in a video posted Sunday on social media that he knew “something much bigger could have happened.”

A judge in Holmes County, Florida, sentenced Mitchell to three years of probation with a fine and community service on May 24 after Mitchell pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of more than 20 grams of cannabis.

“I didn’t know if I’d be able to play football again, but I continued to work out and stay close with the Lord and those who love me unconditionally,” Mitchell said. “During those times, it helped me to keep my mind off it. But when I was by myself looking at social media, what everybody had to say about it, it just felt like it happened again.

“I didn’t sleep at night.”

He was suspended from the Alabama team following the arrest, but Mitchell’s father, Tony Sr., posted on Facebook last week that the defensive back had been reinstated. An Alabama spokesman declined to comment on Mitchell’s status.

Tony Mitchell Sr. shared his son’s video on Facebook, saying it was filmed during a talk to youth.

“I was doing things I knew I shouldn’t to try to fit in,” the younger Mitchell said, “but not everybody’s your friend.”

Mitchell, who is from Alabaster, Alabama, was a four-star prospect and the 15th-rated safety in the 247Composite rankings.

He had been charged in March with possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell after a traffic stop when authorities said he drove over 141 mph (227 kph) while trying to evade deputies in the Florida Panhandle. A deputy had spotted Mitchell’s black Dodge Challenger traveling 78 mph (125 kph) in a 55 mph (88 kph) zone on a rural highway north of Bonifay.

He also received 100 hours of community service and paid a fine of $1,560.

Mitchell and a passenger were both charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to sell or deliver, according to a Holmes County Sheriff’s Office arrest report. The other man also was charged with carrying a concealed gun without a permit.