Less than a week after Ohio State issued an investigative report on football coach Urban Meyer, it remains difficult to see past the lurid details.
The university found that for too long, Meyer and the school's athletic director failed to take action against an assistant coach with a history of domestic abuse accusations and highly questionable behavior.
Alleged violence was only part of it. The report mentioned sex toys, explicit photos, a strip club and an office affair.
"There were red flags," Meyer said in something of an understatement. "I wish I had done more and I wish I had known more."
From a cynical point of view, the whole thing smacks of conspiracy, with Meyer and athletic director Gene Smith sweeping an ugly situation under the rug so as not to embarrass or otherwise jeopardize their powerhouse program.
The report suggests otherwise, finding a series of mistakes and poor judgment but no "deliberate cover-up." The university issued relatively mild suspensions, with Meyer sitting out the first three games of the season and Smith allowed to return to his job in mid-September.
Even if you accept this conclusion, there is something profoundly troubling about what happened in Columbus, something that underscores college football's ongoing struggle with domestic violence and sexual abuse.
"It's a huge failure," said Brenda Tracy, a rape survivor turned activist who tours the country talking to athletes. "Are we just going to keep pleading ignorance?"
