OU's Lincoln Riley: 'We're mandatory reporters' of domestic abuse

Norman Transcript - 8/11/2018

Aug. 11--Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer's mishandling of domestic abuse allegations against a former staff member has sent shockwaves through college football.

Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley took a firm stance when asked about the topic Friday, saying assistants who engage in domestic violence "won't work here."

"It's something that we have talked about beforehand. It wasn't anything new," Riley said. "But [the Ohio State story] was a good chance just to remind guys that whether it's you, whether it's one of your family members, anybody involved in anything, we have to report it. We're mandatory reporters.

"There's no secrets in this world anymore. We have to be honest with each other. We have to communicate. There's obviously no room for any of that on our staff by you or one of your family members."

Meyer, who initially told reporters he didn't know of the 2015 allegations against Zach Smith, has since admitted that he did know. Before that admission, Smith was fired after publication of a report detailing Meyer did know of the suspected abuse.

Meyer is on administrative leave without pay while Ohio State finishes its investigation into how he handled the allegations.

--Concussions down: Riley wouldn't attribute it to the extra-padded helmets most players are required to wear in fall camp this year, but said OU has not had "a rash" of concussions yet.

Defensive linemen and linebackers wear the extra pads -- which are set in place atop helmets -- as a mandatory rule. Everyone on offense is required to wear them but quarterbacks and receivers.

Riley said the extra pads idea came from information given to him by head trainer Scott Anderson.

"Are these having an effect? They darn sure haven't hurt," Riley said.

--Testing Terry: Freshman DaShaun White's emergence and Curtis Bolton's improvement at inside linebacker has resulted in an experiment with Jon-Michael Terry, moving him to outside linebacker.

"We've worked hard in recruiting to [create depth inside]," Riley said. "Also throw Levi Draper in that mix. He's done a nice job for us as well. So we feel like we've got a pretty nice crew there."

--Mayfield reflections: Former OU quarterback and Riley pupil Baker Mayfield's first performance with the Cleveland Browns was met with subdued excitement, since it was only the preseason.

But Mayfield's 11-of-20 passing performance for 212 yards and two touchdowns earned a grin from Riley.

"He looked good. He looked comfortable," Riley said. "I thought he did a great job moving around in the pocket. It was probably the most impressive thing. They did a decent job of protecting him and he threw it like we all know he can throw it. I talked to him a little bit after the game. I know he's excited but also keeping it in perspective. It's only one game."

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