Lynn Bruce, the mother of former Ohio State receivers coach Zach Smith, has broken her silence regarding the ongoing drama involving her son and ex-daughter-in-law Courtney Smith.
Speaking with occasional The-Ozone contributor Jeff Snook, Bruce discussed a variety of topics regarding Zach and Courtney, including her claim that Courtney “vowed to me she would get back at [Zach] someday. And she said she would take Urban down, too.”
In the interview, Bruce states that she doesn’t believe her son ever physically abused Courtney Smith, though she did see Zach use force in trying to remove himself from Courtney’s presence.
“I witnessed what she did several times,” Bruce said. “She would get in his face and block his path while screaming at him. One time when I was there, he was trying to walk down the steps and she blocked him so he couldn’t leave the house. He couldn’t get by her and he had to leave, so he just picked her up by the arms and placed her to the side, so he could walk by and walk out the door. When he did that, I am sure that would leave red marks on her arms. It would if he picked me up and moved me, too. Then she would take a picture.
“She was the aggressor. She was always very confrontational with him.”
The statements fly in start contrast to Courtney Smith’s own words last week, when she stated that Zach Smith was abusive to her on more than one occasion.
“I was scared. I did tell my parents,” she said. “I told (Zach Smith’s) parents as well. I remember specifically texting pictures to my mom, my dad, his dad, begging for help. This has to stop, this isn’t normal. I can’t do this any more. I was told ‘don’t call the police. If you call the police, he’s going to get arrested, it’s going to go to the media, he’s going to lose his job.’”
Snook also traded texts with Courtney’s mother, Tina Carano. Carano stated that she doesn’t believe Zach Smith ever intentionally abused her daughter and that she had heard Courtney say she would “take Zach down.”
The interview covers plenty more ground, providing more context to a sad tale that is now part of Ohio State fans’ everyday conversation.
As the special investigative group at OSU continues their deep dive into what Urban Meyer knew and how he responded to that information, these latest revelations further cloud an already complicated situation.