In a statement released by her attorney on Thursday, Courtney Smith disputed claims that her mother, Tina Carano, made against her over the past week.
"Courtney is saddened by the vindictive falsehoods her estranged mother is making," Julia Leveridge's statement reads. "They not only hurt her daughter but her grandchildren as well. These allegations will be dealt with at the right time and in the appropriate venue. In the meantime, Ms. Smith is committed to taking the high road and is anxious to share the truth after the litigation has concluded."
Courtney's mother, Tina Carano, told Jeff Snook in an interview on Monday that she believed Courtney was lying about domestic violence allegations she made against her ex-husband, former Ohio State wide receivers coach Zach Smith, and that she was trying to take him down.
From Snook's report:
“I wanted to stay out of this mess,” she said. “But I can’t take it anymore. I can’t take all of these lies that are being written. I just want the truth out there once and for all. What’s right is right. It’s been horrible for me to see the lies that were being written about Zach when he didn’t do what he was accused of doing.
“He lost his job over something that didn’t happen.”
Smith, her former son-in-law, was fired as Ohio State’s receivers coach July 23 after it was revealed his ex-wife had obtained a protective order against him July 20 In Delaware County. He also had received a misdemeanor citation for criminal trespass after a May 12 incident at her Powell, Ohio, residence, in an incident when Zach Smith dropped off his son. He has pleaded not guilty.
“When Zach got fired, I was in disbelief that it happened the way it did. I was trying to stay out of it, but I really wanted to come forward and tell the whole story,” Tina Carano said. “I do want to see and have a relationship with my grandchildren someday.
“But the fact is that Courtney set him up in this whole thing. She was determined to bring him down and she wanted to keep her current boyfriend, who didn’t want Zach around.”
Carano, who is currently estranged from her daughter, also told Snook that she believes her daughter "needs professional help."
“It breaks my heart, because we were so close once, but I know someone has to do the right thing. Somebody had to tell the truth about all this. I wouldn’t just go around making stuff up about my own daughter. If someone asks about my motive for speaking out this way against my own daughter, it’s that I really think she needs professional help. I hope she reads this and gets that help … I still love her very much.”
Before Thursday's statement, Courtney Smith had not responded publicly to her mother's claims. Courtney Smith did meet with investigators from Ohio State on Monday, while Zach Smith met with investigators on Tuesday. According to another report by Snook, both Carano and Zach Smith's mother, Lynn Bruce – who has also alleged that Courtney vowed to "take Zach down and take Urban Meyer down with him" – met with investigators on Wednesday.
Ohio State fired Zach on July 23, hours after it was reported that Courtney had filed a domestic violence civil protection order against him and that she had previously accused him of domestic violence in 2009, when he was arrested but not charged in Gainesville, Florida, and 2015, when she told Powell Police that she had "been a victim of sustained physical abuse" by Zach.
Ohio State's investigation of Meyer, who is currently on paid administrative leave, is ongoing. The university said on Aug. 5 that it expected to complete its investigation within two weeks.
