Ohio football coach Brian Smith fired for serious professional misconduct after mysterious absence

Ohio University coach Brian Smith is out of a job. Following an administrative review, Smith was fired by the school on Wednesday for “engaging in serious professional misconduct and participating in activities that reflect unfavorably on the University,” according to a press release from Ohio athletics. He had been on administrative leave since Dec.1 for undisclosed reasons. Ohio University did not give specifics on his misconduct.Smith’s attorney, Rex Elliot, provided a statement to The Athletic on Wednesday challenging the firing. “We vigorously dispute Ohio University’s grounds for the termination for cause of Coach Brian Smith,” Elliot said.

“He is shocked and dismayed by this turn of events, and we plan to fight this wrongful termination to protect his good name.Coach Smith is an ethical man who has done an exemplary job for the University.

He wants nothing but the best for the players, coaches, and the entire Bobcat community.”Defensive coordinator John Hauser will continue serving as the interim coach when Ohio takes on UNLV in the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl on Dec.23.The school will begin a search for a new permanent head coach “immediately,” per the release.Smith had been the Bobcats’ coach since last December, replacing Tim Albin, who spent four years as the head coach at Ohio before departing for Charlotte. Under Smith, the Bobcats went 9-4, winning eight games this season after emerging victorious in last season’s Cure Bowl over Jacksonville State. Smith was hired by Ohio as the team’s passing game coordinator and running backs coach in 2022 before working his way up to head coach last year. Before Ohio, Smith bounced around college football, making stops at Hawaii and Washington State, among other schools. In October, Smith formally signed “a five-year deal through 2029 that paid him $815,000 this season,” according to The Athletic, although the contract included “a $50,000 retention payment if he remained...