UPDATE — 12/17/25, 12:55 p.m. ET: Ohio University fired its football coach Brian Smith for good cause after being placed on leave earlier this month.
“The termination follows an administrative review of allegations that Smith violated the terms of his employment contract by engaging in serious professional misconduct and participating in activities that reflect unfavorably on the University,” the school said in a statement Wednesday (Dec. 17).
Details of the investigation and allegations against Smith have not been made available.
Interim head coach John Hauser will continue to lead Ohio as they prepare to take on the University of Nevada Las Vegas in the 2025 Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl on Tuesday, December 23.
“The search for a permanent head coach for Ohio football will begin immediately,” the university announced.
Original story below:
Head football coach at Ohio University Brian Smith was abruptly placed on administrative leave earlier this month – and he still doesn’t know why.
Smith, 45, was informed of the university’s decision on Dec. 1, the same day the athletic department announced he had been placed on leave “indefinitely.”
No reason was given for the school’s decision.
Smith’s attorney told WOUB on Dec. 2 that Smith was asked to leave in the middle of the work day.
The attorney claimed Smith was given no information about why he was placed on leave and insisted no allegations or changes had been made against the coach.
Despite this, WOUB reported that Smith “will deny any wrongdoing and fight all allegations made against him.”
Smith was also going through a divorce at the time of the school’s decision, but documents obtained by WOUB indicated that her personal life was not related to her being placed on leave.
“Nothing that the plaintiff has alleged is the cause of [Smith’s] current situation at Ohio University, where he has been placed on interim leave,” the divorce filing states.
Smith and his ex-wife finalized their divorce on Tuesday, Dec. 9, according to court filings.
After working without a real contract for much of the year, Smith was set to make $850,000 for last season, according to documents obtained by The United States today in October.
According to Sports Receptions, the circumstances surrounding the university’s decision could be considered curious given Smith’s current contractual situation.
“If the school had terminated Smith without cause before December 1, it would have owed him the entire base salary remaining on his contract, or $2,511,250,” Sports at reception‘ Margaret Fleming » reported on Tuesday, December 9. “Starting December 1, if Smith decided to leave, he or his new employer would have had to return that amount to the university. »
Fleming continued: “The timing suggests that Ohio may be trying to avoid paying a full buyout. And, by placing Smith on paid leave without terminating him, the university may be trying to avoid a wrongful termination lawsuit.”
Us every week has contacted Ohio University for comment.
Whatever the circumstances, the school’s secrecy surrounding Smith has drawn widespread criticism, including from the Ohio University student newspaper.
The disappearance of high school football coach Travis Turner wreaks havoc in his rural Virginia community. For the first time since Turner, 46, disappeared on November 20, the Wise County School Board met on Monday, December 8. The meeting was described as “tense” by WCYB-News 5, during which public comments were withdrawn from […]
“Without a response from the university, people are jumping to conclusions” The post officeIt is Abby Waechter ” wrote in a letter from the editor on Monday, December 8. “Divorce documents are pulled, criminal records are requested, and rumors on Reddit are treated as leads – not because journalists want to speculate, but because OU has created a vacuum where speculation thrives. »
Waechter added: “In the vacuum created by OU’s silence, deeply personal claims have circulated about Smith and his family. This is not accountability. It is the predictable consequence of institutional obstruction, and it has embroiled individuals, including members of Smith’s family, in a public crisis they did not create.”
Smith was coming off an 8-4 season with the Bobcats in his first year as head coach. Defensive coordinator John Hauser was named interim head coach on December 1.
Ohio is scheduled to play UNLV in the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl on December 23.
