Report: Ohio State Gave Zach Smith a Significantly Smaller Raise Than Normal After the 2015 Season
Ohio State gave former assistant coach Zach Smith a $6,600 annual raise following the 2015 season, according to college football reporter Brett McMurphy.
Smith's raise after the 2015 season was the smallest during his six-year career at Ohio State. In October 2015, Smith was investigated for domestic violence and felonious assault against his ex-wife, Courtney Smith.
During his second season, 2013, Zach made $155,000 and received a 10 percent raise the following year ($170,000), reports McMurphy. Zach's salary jumped up to $220,000 prior to the start of the 2015 season, but only increased three percent for the next season.
After 2016, Zach's salary continued to grow at rates similar to those before his 2015 investigation. He earned $300,000 in 2017 and $340,000 in 2018, according to McMurphy.
McMurphy's report contains a page of Smith's 2017 performance review in which "Personal Matters" is listed as an item under the "Work On" section.
Zach, Ohio State's former wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator, was fired by the university on July 23, just days after reports surfaced that an order of protection had been filed against him by Courtney.
As a member of Meyer's staff at Florida in 2009, Smith was arrested for aggravated battery of his wife, who was pregnant at the time. Charges were not filed in that case.
At Big Ten media days on July 24, head coach Urban Meyer said that he was unaware of the 2015 allegations against Zach but knew of the 2009 incident and passed it along to his superiors.
On August 1, McMurphy reported that Meyer knew about the domestic violence allegations against Zach. The report stated that Courtney texted photos and details of the 2015 abuse to Meyer's wife, Shelley.
Ohio State placed Meyer on paid administrative leave on August 1 and launced an investigation to determine if he knew about the allegations against Zach.
