Tuesday morning, Stadium Network college football reporter Brett McMurphy released a story alleging that former Ohio State receivers coach Zach Smith had an altercation September of 2017 with then-OSU freshman receiver Trevon Grimes in which Smith directed a racial slur at Grimes.
The story was actually about searching for “the truth” surrounding Trevon Grimes’ subsequent transfer to Florida, but the racism — and a mention of Urban Meyer before any other names — was the hook that McMurphy used to tweet the story out.
There are plenty of researched details in the story, which I will not link here because of how vehemently it is being denied by those who witnessed the “altercation.”
Most everything is also contradicted in the story, however, which is why the story isn’t presented as fact, but rather McMurphy’s “attempt to find the real story” behind the super-rare occurrence of why a college athlete would decide to transfer to another school.
By presenting it as his search for the truth, there is no need to print the actual truth. After all, McMurphy is just relaying what he has been told, mostly by Grimes’ estranged father, despite the fact that McMurphy has been told by the University of Florida not to believe anything that Grimes’ father is attempting to tell him.
But since the story is only about the search for the truth and not the actual truth, it’s okay to just print anything and then sit back and watch those clicks come in.
The gist of the story is essentially that Urban Meyer allowed Grimes to transfer and be eligible immediately at Florida as long as Grimes didn’t let it get out that OSU was covering up its penchant for racist incidents.
Or at least that’s the story of my search for the gist of the story.
The main source of McMurphy’s story is not Trevon Grimes or his mother, but his father.
Ohio State investigated the matter per McMurphy, and their search for the truth found no corroboration of McMurphy’s claims.
After the story was posted, several Buckeyes responded via Twitter, especially those who were there to witness what actually happened.
There’s no way that anyone would believe this. NO WAY. This lie is just out of hand. I was present during the entire altercation and what’s said in this article NEVER HAPPENED. I can guarantee it. Crazy how social media gives people platforms just to spread nonsense. https://t.co/FRBLucb9WY
— Parris Campbell (@PCampbell21) November 13, 2018
I witness the whole altercation and this didn’t happen.. You think a group of African American young men will sit there and let something like this happen? Say what you want but this isn’t true at all. https://t.co/FrteEDIa9H
— Johnnie L. Dixon III (@YoungKing_JD5) November 13, 2018
Wow… so you really think a room filled with Black athletes would still be apart of this University if any racial slurs were used to degrade another Black man!! Every one of us Wide Outs we’re right there and saw the whole thing. @Brett_McMurphy you continue to lie everyday! https://t.co/kOFwssniAX
— Austin Mack (@Austin_Mack10) November 13, 2018
We all know why Trevon left OSU.. or that’s what he made it seem like, in all honesty OSU was prolly just to tough for the kid. But you saying he was called a n*** but a former OSU coach is a disgrace. You not about to bring down my University that I’m proud to be apart of. #LIES
— Austin Mack (@Austin_Mack10) November 13, 2018
Naw but this man is gonna sit here and get a paycheck and become relevant over some BS!! And you are creating a negative narrative over a great University that cherishes diversity and culture. This is insane
— Austin Mack (@Austin_Mack10) November 13, 2018
Perhaps people will read the story and take it as gospel, which may be the intent. But this is not a story about facts, it’s a story about looking for facts and printing whatever feels right.
This isn’t so much an exposé as it is a choose-your-own-adventure.
“If you would like to believe Grimes’ father, turn to page 47. If you think he’s lying, turn to page 29.”
It’s an easy way to print a story that has been worked on for months but didn’t have the facts to be treated as anything other than a story about a story.
That’s not reporting so much as it is storytelling. And there’s nothing wrong with storytelling, just make sure people know that you’re not trying to pass it off as fact.
Unless you are trying to pass it off as fact, of course.
In which case the search for the truth really only exposes yourself.
And after 4,300 words and months of interviews, it ends with "What is the truth? It depends whom you ask." Which is another way of saying, "Here is an exposé and getting the truth out wasn't my number one goal."
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) November 13, 2018