Gene Smith claims Michigan wins over Ohio State should have an asterisk amid sign-stealing scandal
The Michigan sign-stealing scandal drew a countless number of headlines this past fall, dominating sports talk radio, media, and television. The Wolverines were still able to take care of business on the field this fall, despite all of the outside noise and distractions, bringing home the 2024 National Championship. And they’ve taken care of business against Ohio State in football the past three seasons. On Thursday evening, Buckeyes athletic director Gene Smith made the claim that the Wolverines’ wins over Ohio State should come with an asterisk.
During his appearance on WOSU’s All Sides with Anna Staver, on Thursday, Staver asked Smith if the Buckeyes’ three-game losing streak to Michigan “deserves a little bit of an asterisk since for at least two of those years, it appears they were cheating.”
“Of course I do,” Smith said. You can listen to the podcast here.
Smith’s tenure with the Buckeyes is coming to an end. He has less than two months remaining, and he’s long been one of the most visible figures in all of college athletics. It’ll certainly be fascinating to see how Ohio State handles the transition with their new athletic director. In January of 2024, the Buckeyes named Texas A&M’s Ross Bjork as the successor to Gene Smith. And he’ll have the keys to one of the biggest athletic departments in all of sports.
Gene Smith retiring in July of 2024
Gene Smith, one of the most well-respected administrators across the college sports landscape, announced he will retire from his role as Ohio State athletic director effective July 2024.
In nearly two decades with the Buckeyes, Ohio State became one of the top athletics departments in the nation. The top earning revenue department in the 2022-23 academic year, Smith tabbed Ryan Day as Urban Meyer’s successor in 2019. Day has compiled a 45-6 record with three College Football Playoff appearances in four seasons. Additionally, Ohio State finished as the top-ranked Big Ten athletics program in the Director’s Cup standings eight times under Smith.
The decision comes during a tumultuous time in college sports.
The Big Ten will now be an 18-team conference in 2024. The Pac-12 consists of just four schools. And the Big 12 added Arizona, Arizona State and Utah. A member of the inaugural College Football Playoff Committee, Smith left the topic of reexamining the 12-team playoff to SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti.
On3’s Pete Nakos also contributed to this article.