Addazio, Jarmond release statements to Globe about Smith

Addazio and Jarmond finally did the smart thing and released individual statements on Zach Smith. (It seems like the Globe was the only outlet that got the statements.) A written release was probably safer and better than making comments in front of the cameras. They say the right things without getting into the specifics of what each knew and when they knew it. It will be interesting if this is the last the two talk about it and if the national media guys start to dig into the issue and Smith's history.

Two BC people probably need to address the Zach Smith situation

If you haven't been following the Zach Smith story, here is the short version. Ohio State fired Zach Smith after his history of domestic violence incidents became public. Urban Meyer publicly claimed he was not aware of a 2015 issue. That claim is now being challenged and Ohio State has put Meyer on leave. Former BC Assistant Ryan Day is the Interim Head Coach. While this is a Ohio State issue, because of the old boys network running college sports, this story does touch BC in two obvious ways.

First, Zach Smith worked for Addazio at Temple during the 2011 season. This was after Smith's 2009 arrest in Florida for beating his then pregnant wife. It would be nearly impossible in a town like Gainesville and with the type of organization that Meyer's runs, that this arrest was not known among all the football staff. I don't know what sort of relationship Addazio had with Smith then. I don't know what the Temple policy was on domestic violence nor background checks. I don't know what either Mr. or Mrs. Smith told Addazio about the abuse. The only thing we do know is that Addazio hired him after an arrest. My suggestion is that Addazio prepare a factual statement about the hire, his sympathy for the victim, how he has learned from it and how that experience has shaped his and BC's policy now.

Martin Jarmond never hired Zach Smith, but he was a key leader in the department that oversaw football at Ohio State. Jarmond may be technically off the hook since he never would have been in direct position either as an AD or Head Coach to fire any of Meyer's staffers. But having seen firsthand how sweeping something under the rug hurts the victim and all those who are impacted by the coverup, should lead to Jarmond establishing a clear policy on domestic abuse issues and prior criminal arrests. He should also prepare a factual statement on the issue and how it will influence BC's actions going forward.

I would like to think BC does thorough background checks on all employees. I know of past athletic staffers with DUIs who still got hired, but I have never heard of any issues related to violence that were pushed through. I suggest a strict policy -- managed by HR -- be established. Ignoring these sorts of things are never worth it and don't help the victims. We rarely take a leadership position in College Sports. Why not be the first to take a stand on something like this?

Based on current information, I don't think anything Addazio or Jarmond did related to Smith would put their BC positions in jeopardy. However, that doesn't mean they shouldn't clarify their roles and explain how that will never happen at BC.