Urban Meyer denies turning in Florida for recruiting violation
In a text message to the Columbus Dispatch, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer has strongly denied turning in his old school for a recruiting violation.
“It is absolutely not true that I turned in the University of Florida,” said Meyer, responding to a FoxSports.com story from earlier Wednesday. In that report, Clay Travis alleged the former Gators coach was responsible for turning in Florida assistant Brian White for a "bump" violation. White, who was hired by Meyer in 2009, was accused of having an improper interaction with a recruit during a non-contact period.
The recruit in question is Curtis Samuel, a four-star Brooklyn running back that recently announced a top five that included Ohio State but not Florida. According to Travis' report, an investigation into the claim revealed no wrongdoing by the Gators coaching staff.
Meyer left Florida after six seasons in 2010. He took a season off to work for ESPN before accepting the Ohio State job in late 2011. The Buckeyes went 12-0 under him last season.
It hasn't been the best week for the Ohio State coach, who has also had to deal with questions regarding Aaron Hernandez, who played under Meyer in Gainesville. A USA TODAY report suggested that someone at the University of Florida had possibly paid off a restaurant manager who was punched in the head by Hernandez after the tight end refused to pay his bill. An ESPN report also looked closer into a 2007 shooting that Hernandez was questioned in.
When asked about the player that helped him win the 2008 national championship earlier this week, Meyer said "I'm not going to talk about that."
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