Fox News Flash top headlines for January 4
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Urban Meyer has refuted a claim made by former Ohio State defensive back Marcus Williamson that the famed college football coach once used a photo of Trayvon Martin to enforce a "no hoodie" rule in team practices.
Meyer, who was recently fired as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars after a season filled with issues both on and off the field, told Ohio State reporter Jeff Snook that while the team had a policy of not allowing players to wear hoodies during meetings, he never used an image of Martin like Williamson alleged.
EX-OHIO STATE PLAYER MAKES ACCUSATIONS AGAINST URBAN MEYER
Head Coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes during the annual Ohio State Spring Game at Ohio Stadium on April 18, 2015 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Black young man, was fatally shot while wearing a hoodie in February 2012 in Sanford, Florida, by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman.
"Our team rule was no hats or hoodies or sunglasses of any kind but only in team meetings, just so we could see their eyes and make sure they were paying attention and not asleep," Meyer explained, according to the report. "We did not, and never would show a picture of Trayvon Martin. My gosh, no."
He continued: "That is absolutely false and you can check with any other player on my teams during that time to confirm what I am saying. Other players know what he is saying is false. I would never do that. He is crossing the line here. It seems people are just piling on now. But that never happened."
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DeVonta Smith #6 of the Alabama Crimson Tide is wrapped up by Marcus Williamson #21 of the Ohio State Buckeyes on Jan. 11, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
Williamson posted a series of tweets on New Year's Day alleging things Meyer told him and the team during his time at Ohio State. Meyer coached the Buckeyes from 2012 to 2018. Williamson retired from football during the 2021 season and wasn’t in California for the Rose Bowl.
In one of the tweets, he accused Meyer of using a photo of Martin in a PowerPoint presentation "to institute our building wide rule of ‘no hoods’ in the building."
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Head coach Urban Meyer of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 30, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Former Ohio State linebacker Joshua Perry defended Meyer in a tweet Sunday saying "Urban was a tough a– coach, but he always invested in us as players and people."
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.