Can't compare them, not even close. Only in the fact that both Head Coaches claim they knew nothing and there is some proof that they might have but maybe not.
Nature of the crime does make a difference. Kids are not able to defend themselves, kids are not able to make decisions like adults. Abusing a kid sexually or otherwise is illegal. Beating your wife, if she doesn't press charges, is not.
Totally....totally polar opposite offenses.
If Joe Pa knew kids were being raped on campus, in his complex, and did nothing should be fired. NOT A QUESTION. Hell he should be put in jail.
Assuming Title IX doesn't apply, which I no longer see how it does. If Meyer knew that Smith was abusing his wife, and it didn't happen in the complex, or in front of him and she doesn't press charges...I don't see how he is liable. Lie or not
Perception is not a fireable offense
Absolutely the same. Makes no difference how you perceive the crime or where it happened. Raping boys and beating the hell out of your wife are both serious in their own right. The key here is that Meyer and every head coach out there have a duty to report to their superiors when they either know or have reason to believe the people they hired are doing bad shit. And what's going on at tOSU is exactly the reason why.
I'm not talking about the argument of whether firing Smith would help or hurt him or his home life. I'm talking about the sole issue in this entire situation. Cut through all the moral BS for a second. What tOSU and every University out there wants to avoid is, "One of your employees was doing (Insert whatever...fucking boys, beating wives, selling meth), you found out about it and did NOTHING!!! The face of your program knew it and kept him employed."
This is not about Meyer's liability to anyone other than the bosses stroking him a check for $8 large a year. I totally get all the moral arguments made. His loyalty to his long time friend and employee, yada yada yada. But the administration and boosters paying those millions don't give two fiddly fucks about that. They don't want ESPN running stories 24/7, Paul Finebaum calling Meyer a fraud, the public claiming tOSU's head coach condones wife beating. They want the face of their program, the guy they're paying those millions to, to come to them and say, "Look, I think one of my guys has a problem with...." Then, they can investigate whatever the situation may be and determine if they need to get someone help, fire em' or find out there was nothing to it.
Meyer may be completely exonerated. At this point, I kind of hope he is. But the one and only issue here is that he's on administrative leave because either his bosses know he knew about it, or simply because public perception,
right or wrong, is that Urban Meyer knew one of his coaches was beating his wife and did nothing. You can be as loyal to your friends as you want to be. But when he took this position, this money and this responsibility to the University and its boosters and fans, he had to understand that loyalty could possibly come with a price.