A testy afternoon of football between Ohio State and Michigan appeared to spill over to the sidelines on Saturday, with video of a vulgar exchange involving Buckeyes athletic director Gene Smith surfacing online.
Smith, Ohio State’s AD since 2005, appears on the video getting into a profanity-laced conversation with an unidentified sideline official and a Michigan staff member. The clip, posted by Trey Wallace of Outkick, shows the official speaking to Smith and seeming to ask for his name for presumably standing too close to the field during the game.
“What the f— is yours? What the f— is your name?” Smith asked the official before turning his attention to the Michigan staffer. “I’m behind the yellow line. Don’t get me started.”
The clip then abruptly ends after an off-camera Michigan staffer swiped at Wallace’s phone, according to his post.
Ohio State AD Gene Smith gets into it with a sideline official after Buckeyes touchdown
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) November 25, 2023
Then a Michigan staffer swiped at my phone. pic.twitter.com/KHx77zp5cI
Although the exact cause of Smith’s heated response remains unknown, the moment added to what already was another bitter battle in the storied rivalry’s history.
Unfortunately for Smith, who’s set to retire at the end of the 2023-24 academic year, his F-bombs may be his only chance to get the last word against the undefeated Wolverines 12–0, 9–0 Big Ten), who outlasted the Buckeyes (11–1, 8–1), 30–24.
