Zach Smith's lawyer: Client answered investigators' question

Former Ohio State assistant football coach Zach Smith met Tuesday with investigators working on behalf of the university, Smith's attorney told ESPN's Dan Murphy.

Smith was fired from his position as the Buckeyes' wide receivers coach on July 23 after details of domestic abuse allegations made against him years earlier came to light in a report from college football reporter Brett McMurphy.

Ohio State is conducting an internal investigation into the handling of the allegations by staff members, including coach Urban Meyer, who has been placed on administrative leave.

Smith's attorney, Brad Koffel, said his client answered all the questions asked of him during the hours-long meeting, and repeated everything he had said in a recent interview with ESPN.

In that interview, Smith said he believed Meyer followed all protocol properly when dealing with the 2015 incident. Smith said he understood why Ohio State had to fire him, but "it would be a crime" if Meyer lost his job as a result of the ongoing investigation.

Meyer said the day after firing Smith that he had no knowledge about a domestic assault allegation against his former assistant that was made in 2015. Meyer later backtracked from that statement, and Smith confirmed that Meyer did know police were investigating allegations against him during the fall of 2015.

Smith also said in his interview with ESPN that Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, who is of no relation, was aware that police were investigating the domestic assault allegations in 2015.

Ohio State has appointed a special working group spearheaded by Mary Jo White -- who has previously led high-profile inquiries involving several NFL teams -- to determine if anyone at the university acted inappropriately while dealing with the 2015 incident. The group has been conducting extensive interviews, including with Smith's ex-wife Courtney, and said it expects to complete the review by Sunday.