Urban Meyer, Ohio State Football, and How Leaders Ignore Unethical Behavior

Last week, Urban Meyer, the highly-decorated head football coach of The Ohio State University was suspended without pay for three games for how he handled the alleged domestic violence by his long-time assistant coach, Zach Smith. The school’s decision is summarized in a revealing 23-page investigation report, which serves as a useful case study for the way organizations, leaders, and individuals fall victim to moral biases—rationalizations for behaving unethically usually due to one’s self-interest.

Management and psychology research can help us understand how people become susceptible to moral biases and make choices that are inconsistent with their values and the values of their organizations. Through this lens, the investigation report reveals a number of factors (such as putting performance over principles and blind loyalty) known to push leaders toward unethical decisions that can harm their legacy and their organization’s reputation.