Urban Meyer Credit: Urban’s Take

The term “fake news” has been beaten into the ground pretty thoroughly over the last six years, but don’t tell that to Urban Meyer. It’s apparently his mantra.

On the latest episode of Urban’s Take with Tim May, the former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach came to the defense of Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh in a roundabout way.

Harbaugh’s program is under fire over a sign-stealing scandal that has many wondering if the head coach’s days in Ann Arbor are numbered, one way or another. Meyer, no stranger to being in the media’s crosshairs over things that have happened on his watch, wants to make it clear that he thinks the football coach is the one who deserves the benefit of the doubt, not the reporters working on the story.

“This is really the first time, because it’s you and a guy I respect — so I’m very cautious. I’ve been asked over 100 times to comment on it and I just won’t,” said Meyer. “First of all, I’m very skeptical of reporters reporting. My experience is they’re wrong most of the time. And that’s not a shot at the media, that’s reality. People say things that they’re reporting that’s just not true. So I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt saying, first of all, it’s hard for me to believe that is true.”

Meyer did admit that he finds some of the allegations against Michigan and staffer Connor Stalions to be “egregious” and denied the notion that this is overblown because everybody does it.

“I also heard people say that ‘Well, everyone does that.’ And Tim, no one does that,” said Meyer. “I’ve never heard of that in 40 years of being around the game. There’s a very clear and that rule, some will say it’s not that important. Once again, everybody is entitled to their opinion. If they know your signals, it is that important. You’re changing the game. That’s very egregious if that’s what happened. I’m not saying it did, because I’m still skeptical it did.”

Meyer is certainly entitled to his own opinions about the story and how it’s being reported. Of course, it’s fair to say that he has a vested interest in saying that reporters are “wrong most of the time” since they’ve brought a lot of things to the surface that he probably didn’t want there and would much rather people think are made up. He probably also holds a grudge for the media coverage towards the end of his Ohio State tenure and his disastrous Jacksonville Jaguars run.

It’s not that reporters don’t get things wrong. And in Meyer’s case, there have been instances when it appears to have happened. But it’s fair to say that’s far from the norm, especially in the world of national reporting and on the level that this story is being vetted.

Denigrating the honesty and integrity of reporters is usually a good sign that someone doesn’t want you to believe what they have to say. It’s a tried-and-true tactic these days, especially for the company Urban currently works for. But by all accounts, the reporters covering this story appear to be covering their bases and treading only on the information they know at the moment, as they know it. Peddle that “fake news” nonsense elsewhere.

[Urban’s Take with Tim May]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.