Lawyer for Ohio State AD: Urban Meyer, Gene Smith 'fell on the sword' by accepting suspensions

Paul Myerberg | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Ohio State suspends head coach Urban Meyer for three games Ohio State has announced that Urban Meyer will be suspended for the first three games of the season. Here's how that will affect the Buckeye's season.

In a statement posted to his Facebook page, Rex Elliott, the lawyer representing Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith, said both Smith and Urban Meyer “fell on the sword” in accepting the suspensions handed down Wednesday by the university.

“The country was lathered into a frenzy based on erroneous information and a long delay and OSU needed to appease the lynch mob that had formed as soon as the unproven allegations were made,” read Elliott’s post.

“As a result, two great men fell on the sword for a University they dearly love. And both men faced a room full of reporters and admitted they failed in their duties to better manage and react quicker to a troubled employee even though they had no idea about the information that has since come out about some of the things he may have been doing.”

Elliott told USA TODAY Sports the statement "was a private Facebook post" and that "Ohio State had nothing to do with my private Facebook feed." The post was not deleted, Elliott told USA TODAY Sports, and remains active on his page.

After a long day of meetings involving the university president and its board of trustees, Ohio State suspended Meyer for the first three games of the coming season and placed Smith on a 17-day unpaid leave.

MORE: Urban Meyer won't participate as voter in Amway Coaches Poll during suspension

MORE: Ohio State suspends football coach Urban Meyer three games: 'I want to apologize'

MORE: Might as well go ahead and rename the place. It's Urban Meyer State University now

Elliott's Facebook post outlined how a “rush to judgment and the erroneous reporting of details by some irresponsible media” muddied an investigation that ultimately concluded that Urban Meyer “misspoke and did not lie to anyone.”

Among the investigation’s findings were that Meyer was aware in 2015 of the accusations of abuse involving former assistant coach Zach Smith. At last month’s Big Ten media days, Meyer told reporters that “I know nothing about it.”

The investigation also found that Meyer and Ohio State’s director of football operations discussed earlier this month how to delete text messages older than one year. The investigation later found that “Meyer’s phone revealed no messages older than one year.”

Elliott concluded his Facebook post with, “Two men who don't deserve the public flogging but who agreed to take one for the team so this great University can move forward with all of its amazing athletic and academic initiatives. Sorry for the length of this and I am not looking (for) debate. Just (wanted) to make sure the facts are straight.”

Not long after publishing his post, Elliott wrote on his Twitter account: “Just to clarify the (Facebook) post I wrote today was not authorized by Gene or anyone at OSU. My thoughts and mine alone.”