Ohio State placed head coach Urban Meyer on paid administrative leave Wednesday afternoon in order for the university to conduct an investigation into allegations brought to light in a story from college football reporter Brett McMurphy.

The move comes two days before the Buckeyes were set to open fall camp, setting off a period of uncertainty for the Buckeyes. Meyer, one of college football’s towering figures, is now in an exile as the university looks into how he handled domestic violence accusations made against former wide receivers coach Zach Smith by his wife Courtney.

"The university is conducting an investigation into these allegations,” read a statement released by Ohio State. “During the inquiry, Urban Meyer will be on paid administrative leave. Ryan Day will serve as acting head football coach during the investigation. We are focused on supporting our players and on getting to the truth as expeditiously as possible."

Paid administrative leave is a rare term in college athletics. Often, coaches are fired or cleared well before an investigation comes to light publicly. In other situations, when a coach is being investigated for cause, coaches can be placed on unpaid administrative leave, like former Louisville head coach Rick Pitino last year.

There are a few prominent examples from this decade that can paint a picture in terms of how situations like this are handled and ultimately resolved. We examine some of those cases below.

Bobby Petrino, Arkansas Head Coach

Year: 2012

Result: Fired

The image is seared in college football lore. A battered and bruised Petrino sat in front of a microphone with the support of a neck brace while detailing a motorcycle accident that eventually morphed into a major scandal. Before the details came out and the public dressing down of Petrino by then Arkansas AD Jeff Long, the Razorbacks put Petrino on paid administrative leave. A week later, after it was found Petrino was on the motorcycle with his mistress (who he hired to work with him at Arkansas) and lied about his infidelity, Arkansas fired Petrino.

The Razorbacks fired Petrino with cause, which meant he did not receive the $18 million buyout his contract stipulated.

Kenny Johnson & Jordan Fair, Louisville Basketball Assistants

Year: 2017

Result: Fired

Though they were fired a month apart, we’re lumping these two Louisville assistants together since they were dismissed as a result of the same FBI corruption scandal. Fair was fired first, only a few days after being placed on administrative leave. Though nobody at Louisville had been charged or named in the FBIs investigation, former Cardinal forward Brian Bowen received $100,000 in his recruitment to attend the university. A little over a month later, Louisville fired Fair. In all, the Cardinals dismissed three coaches in the span of fewer than 60 days, with Pitino also losing his job.

Mike McQueary, Penn State Assistant

Year: 2011

Result: Contract Not Renewed

Penn State’s wide receivers coach when the Jerry Sandusky scandal came to light in 2011, McQueary was placed on administrative leave shortly after head coach Joe Paterno was fired. McQueary was a graduate assistant in 2001 when he told Paterno he’d witnessed Sandusky sexually abuse a child. McQueary later testified what he’d seen in court, which showed Paterno had known about Sandusky’s behavior at least a decade before the news broke. Penn State did not allow McQueary to coach the first game after Paterno’s firing and his contract was not renewed.

McQueary later levied a definition lawsuit against Penn State University. A Pennsylvania jury awarded McQueary $7.3 million in Oct. 2016.

Randy Sanders, East Tennessee Head Coach

Year: 2018

Result: Retained

Sanders, who served as Florida State’s co-offensive coordinator in 2017, ran into trouble early in his tenure at East Tennessee. During a spring practice Sanders reprimanded a defensive player who intercepted a pass in the end zone and attempted to run it out. When the player said he would take a knee in a game situation, Sanders slapped his helmet, according to a university review. That led to an investigation by East Tennessee, which ultimately issued him a letter of public reprimand and docked him a week’s pay.

"Last week, I responded to a situation with poor judgment towards the end of practice," Sanders said in a statement released by the university. "I immediately apologized to the player directly involved and to my team, and contacted my athletic director to explain everything that happened. Since that time, I have cooperated freely and fully with the university and its review of the situation. I accept the decision by the university and recognize that through my role I have an obligation to lead by example."

Lamont Smith, San Diego Basketball Head Coach

Year: 2018

Result: Resigned

San Diego placed Smith on administrative leave in February following his arrest on domestic violence charges. Though Smith was never formerly charged, he announced his resignation 10 days later. Smith is now an assistant coach at UTEP.

Larry Eustachy, Colorado State Basketball Head Coach

Year: 2018

Result: Resigned

Eustachy resigned from his post in February this year following a “climate assessment” of his program from the Colorado State administration. Though details were not released publicly following the assessment, Colorado State had previously looked into Eustachy’s behavior in 2013-14. That investigation concluded Eustachy verbally abused players and created “an atmosphere of fear.” Eustachy did keep his job at that time, however.

Eustachy agreed to amend his contract in February, which will pay him $750,000 over the next two years. He also remained on paid leave until June 30, when he formerly resigned.

Correction: A previous version of this article stated that Eustachy resigned following a "climate assessment" from the San Diego State administration. We regret this error.