Why was Ohio University football coach Brian Smith fired? What we know
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Ohio University football coach Brian Smith was fired Dec. 17 for violating the school’s alcohol policy, The Athletic has reported, citing documents that say he drank in his office.
Smith was placed on leave Dec. 1 over the allegations and has vowed to fight his termination after just one season leading the Bobcats.
The accusations came to light in a personnel file The Athletic obtained through a public records request. The Dispatch has also requested Smith’s personnel file and disciplinary records but the university has so far failed to provide them.
The school accused the former coach of “engaging in serious professional misconduct and participating in activities that reflect unfavorably on the university.”
Here’s what we know about Smith’s firing.
What was OU coach Brian Smith fired for?
The Dispatch has requested Smith’s personnel file and other disciplinary records from Ohio University.
The Athletic, which has already obtained Smith’s personnel file, reported that Smith met with athletic director Slade Larscheid and other administrators Nov. 24 to discuss allegations related to drug and alcohol that violated Smith’s contract.
A letter dated Nov. 24 from OU director of employee experience Suzanne Durst detailed the meeting, during which Smith acknowledged he stored alcohol in his office desk drawer and that he occasionally would be joined by assistant coaches for a single drink of bourbon in his office after games, The Athletic reported.
A university policy prohibits the use of alcohol in the workplace or in a university car and a Nov. 25 letter issued a formal reprimand for Smith violating the protocol. The second letter warned Smith that he could face further disciplinary action, The Athletic reported.
A Dec. 1 letter was also in Smith’s personnel file placing the coach on leave.
“We vigorously dispute Ohio University’s grounds for the termination for cause of Coach Brian Smith,” Smith’s attorney Rex Elliott said in a prepared statement. “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.”
What was Brian Smith’s tenure like at Ohio University?
Smith served a short stint atop the OU football program.
The Bobcats were coming off their first Mid-American Conference title in decades when Smith was named head coach of the Bobcats Dec. 14.
He led Ohio to an 8-4 record in the 2025 season before he was placed on leave Dec. 1. Before becoming head coach, Smith had served as an offensive coordinator for the team since 2022.
Smith replaced Tim Albin, who left at the end of 2024 to take a head coaching job at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Ohio has named defensive coordinator John Hauser the interim coach, and he will continue in that role for the Bobcats’ game against UNLV in the 2025 Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl.
Dispatch investigative reporter Max Filby can be reached by email at mfilby@dispatch.com. Find him on X at the handle @MaxFilby or on Facebook at @ReporterMaxFilby.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: OU football coach Brian Smith fired: What his personnel file reveals
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