Zach Smith, the school's former wide receivers coach, was sacked July 23, days after Courtney filed for a protection order against him and hours after domestic abuse allegations from 2009 and 2015 were revealed.
College football reporter Brett McMurphy, who first obtained Leveridge's statement Monday night, reported last week that Meyer was aware of the 2015 incident involving his wide receivers coach, even though he said at Big Ten media days last month that he was "never told about anything" about it. "Urban Meyer is on the hot seat and can be wrongfully fired from Ohio State", the petition states, adding, "it is up to us Buckeye Nation to help him not just for him but for THE Ohio State University and the great state of Ohio!"
Courtney Smith's attorney, Julia Leveridge, released a statement on Tuesday saying her client is a domestic violence victim and that she made "concerted efforts to press charges of domestic violence against her ex-husband".
Smith, who was also Ohio State's recruiting coordinator, was sacked on July 23, just days after reports surfaced that an order of protection had been filed against him by Courtney Smith.
Zach Smith, a grandson of late Buckeyes coach Earle Bruce, who was a mentor to Meyer, also asserted that he had never harmed her and that the head coach handled the allegations appropriately. "I said: 'That's fine, you should tell Urban".
On July 24, Meyer had denied knowledge of Zach Smith's alleged 2015 abuse while acknowledging he knew of Smith's alleged 2009 abuse that occurred while Smith was on Meyer's staff at the University of Florida.
Meyer admitted Friday that he knew of both alleged incidents at the time and "followed proper reporting protocols and procedures", acknowledging that his recent statements were inaccurate.
After Courtney Smith went public last week, claiming she had told Meyer's wife Shelley about the abuse in 2015, the Buckeyes head coach changed his story in a statement.
"Ohio State is committed to a thorough and complete investigation".
The Buckeyes open the season September 1.
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