Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith’s days are numbered. He’s retiring and making way for new AD Ross Bjork, but he’s firing shots on the way out the door to a familiar foe.
When asked whether the current Michigan The football winning streak over Ohio State should have an asterisk next to it, Smith pulled no punches and was as honest as the sign stealing saga seems to be in the background of Ann Arbor.
“Of course I do,” Smith said in All Sides of WOSU with Anna Staver on Thursday last week.
“Yes, of course I do,” Smith continued. “The rules exist to protect the integrity of the game and try their best to create a level playing field, and when these rules are violated, it affects these principles. And so, we have to keep that in perspective.”
Say what you want, but if the depth of sign stealing in Michigan has been portrayed, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone outside of Ann Arbor who would disagree. Of course, these are all allegations that are still being investigated by the NCAA at this time, but the football program accepted a three-game suspension for head coach Jim Harbaugh as a result of the evidence the Big Ten had. So there’s something there, right?
Either way, Smith’s sentiment will surely resonate with nearly every Ohio State fan and will taste like sour grapes to every Michigan fan still basking in the glow of last season’s national title in that game at the end of a three-game winning streak. the Buckeyes.
As with most things, it all depends on your perspective and deep-rooted interests, at least until the NCAA starts to act and impose whatever penalties are coming.
