Urban Meyer has been the coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars for only nine months, but it sounds like he is already in danger of losing the locker room — if he hasn’t already.
Meyer is currently dealing with a lot of negative publicity after a video went viral that showed a woman rubbing up against him at a bar in Ohio. According to a new report, Jaguars players do not appreciate the way Meyer has handled the situation.
Michael Silver of NFL.com said Tuesday that he was told by a Jaguars player that Meyer has “zero credibility” with the team. The player said he and his teammates were unhappy after Meyer canceled a team meeting on Monday so he could deal with the fallout from his off-field drama. The player also claimed the team burst out laughing after Meyer explained what happened between him and the young woman.
2) Players were particularly put off by the fact that Meyer canceled Monday's team meeting, as he dealt with the uproar over the videos of him and a young woman getting cozy in that Ohio bar. 'He even canceled the team meeting. He was too scared,' a player said.
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) October 5, 2021
4) Said one player: 'We looked at him like, WTF? Right when he left everyone started dying laughing. And he knew it.'
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) October 5, 2021
5 Bottom line, said the player: 'It's bad. I don't know how he's gonna function.'
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) October 5, 2021
Shortly after Silver published those anonymous quotes, Jaguars owner Shad Khan released a statement. He called Meyer’s conduct “inexcusable” and said the coach must earn back the respect and trust of the team.
A statement from #Jaguars owner Shad Khan on Urban Meyer. pic.twitter.com/jbfOQK6zsA
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 5, 2021
A previous report on Tuesday claimed the Jaguars met behind closed doors this week to discuss the possibility of firing Meyer. Khan’s statement seemingly indicates that the team has not gotten to that point yet but is unhappy with Meyer.
In the original video, Meyer appeared to have his arm serving as a barrier between his personal area and the woman. Another angle then surfaced on Monday that showed the 57-year-old coach being handsy with the young woman.
Meyer’s wife Shelley said she knew Urban was at a bar and that he deserved to blow off some steam after a tough loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last Thursday night. It’s unclear if she felt differently after the latest clip surfaced on Monday.
Meyer apologized on Monday for becoming a distraction to the Jaguars.
In addition to his actions at the restaurant, Meyer has also faced a lot of criticism for not flying back to Jacksonville with the Jaguars after their loss last week. He had some dramatic things to say after the team fell to 0-4 on the season.
