Retiring Big Ten official compares Jim Harbaugh to child, speaks out on J.T. Barrett spot

He is unlike any other Big Ten coach. He is distant, uncommunicative. He had a staff member whose job it was to communicate with the officials. I’d come over at the end of the first half, as I’m obligated to do, and say, “Coach, you’re out of timeouts.” Or maybe I’d say something like, “Coach, No. 64 is on the edge (of getting a penalty); you better talk to him.” I was engaging in what we call preventive officiating.

If you don’t want to listen to what I have to say, you’re probably not doing your team any favor. I’m not expecting that coaches will be warm and fuzzy, though some of them are absolutely lovable. Coach Meyer was all about the business of coaching his team, and he wanted nothing to do with the officials or with officiating.

Any time I would approach his sideline, he would turn and go the other direction. Now, in his defense Ohio State is a pressure-packed job and he’s got a million things on his mind. The other coaches seem to be able to parse that out in such a way that they’re able to communicate with the officials. For whatever reason, that wasn’t on his radar screen. The pregame meetings were as brief as he could possibly make them … captains’ numbers, kickoff time, everybody legally equipped. Check, check, check. Good luck, Coach. Goodbye.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement for Meyer on staying engaged personally with an important aspect of the game, but every coach his reasons for how things are handled. As detailed and meticulous as Meyer was, there’s probably something in his past that conditioned him to be this way.

Those are just some of the interesting comments in the entire interview appearing in the Chicago Tribune. There are other personalities and moments worth taking a peek at too. You can read the entire piece here.