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Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars skipped the honeymoon phase as the head coach’s era has featured turmoil and controversy.
Poor play on the football field is just part of his problems. There’s turmoil in the locker room after a video circulated on social media recently showing the Meyer at a bar dancing with a young woman. The now-viral video has brought even more unwanted attention to the coach as the situation in Jacksonville is reportedly described as reaching a “crisis point.”
The Jaguars have started the season with an NFL-worst record of 0-4. In addition to a lack of wins, there have been rumblings that players and staff alike have grown resentful towards Meyer because of his fiery coaching style. The head coach reportedly belittled the team during preseason games, lashing out in unhinged outbursts in the locker room. Now there’s an embarrassing off-field controversy they must deal with.
After leading a successful Ohio State program to a national championship in 2014 and maintaining a winning record over his six years there, Meyer’s already had a lot of eyes on him when it was announced that he would be coaching on the pro level for the Jaguars this season. Replacing former head coach Doug Marone—who led Jacksonville to their franchise-worst record of 1-15 during the 2019-2020 season—it wasn’t like Meyer’s had colossal shoes to fill entering his first NFL season. Yet, as soon as he was hired, controversy immediately followed. After being fined $100,000 in July for violating practice rules during organized team activities, Meyer dropped his coaching debut against the Texans, the beginning of what would be a rough four weeks for the team.
With Urban Meyer’s time in Jacksonville possibly numbered, here’s a timeline of everything that has happened since he was hired as the new head coach for the Jaguars.
Urban Meyer Hired as New Head Coach for the Jaguars
Meyer was not walking into an ideal situation when Jacksonville hired him. However, after the franchise secured the No. 1 pick in the draft, who would be Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, things appeared to be looking up for the team.
Meyer had a very successful career at Ohio State during his tenure as head coach, leading the Buckeyes to several conference titles and finishing with a record of 83-9 over his six years with the program. But things got off to a rough start for Meyer and the Jags when reports began to surface that tension was growing in the locker room because of how intensley the head coach was treating preseason games.
“You can’t freak out about preseason games and belittle your coaches—on a staff you handpicked—every time things don’t go your way,” one source told CBS Sports. “It’s not going to work here.”
This tension would only intensify as the season drew closer as Meyer began adding questionable new members to his coaching staff.
Meyer Questioned for Hiring Conditioning Coach Accused of Racism
Back in February, Meyer hired former Iowa State strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle as the Jaguars’ new director of sports performance. The latest addition was met with immediate criticism because Doyle was placed on administrative leave and eventually reached a separation agreement with Iowa due in large part to allegations of racism and bullying.
In a press conference following news of the hire, Meyer defended his choice by talking about how long he has been friends with Doyle.
“I’ve known Chris for close to 20 years. Our relationship goes back to when I was at Utah and he was the No. 1 strength coach,” Meyer said. “I vetted him thoroughly along with our general manager and owner. Feel great about the hire, about his expertise at that position. So we vetted him thoroughly and sports performance is going to be a high, high priority.”
Many were not satisfied with the coach’s comments, mainly because he did not directly address the allegations of racism against Doyle, instead emphasizing how long he had known the trainer.
Tension Begins to Brew in Jacksonville
Going into the season, many questioned how Meyer would adjust to coaching at the pro level. After a tumultuous preseason, it became clear that there was a disconnect between him and the rest of the team. Players and staff members began to criticize Meyer’s coaching style, and this lack of team chemistry began to bleed onto the field.
CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported in September that, “Meyer’s temper and lack of familiarity with the ebbs and flows of the NFL calendar rubbing the Jacksonville Jaguars staff and players the wrong way.”
Meyer experienced his first loss in a season opener as a head coach in the Jaguars’ 37-21 defeat at the hands of the Texans. It was not the ideal way to start his tenure with the team, and coupled with tensions growing in the locker room because of Meyer’s outbursts and belittling of players, the Jags only began to devolve from that point forward.
The Jaguars Start the Season 0-4
As if the disconnect between Meyer and the rest of the team wasn’t enough, The turmoil in the Jaguars locker room has only intensified with the team unable to buy a win. Not only did Meyer lose his first season opener, but he also led the Jaguars to the worst start in the NFL 2021 season. They are currently the only team to have yet to win a game entering Week 5.
The team’s loss against the Bengals in Week 4 marked their 19th consecutive defeat. In the postgame press conference, Meyer talked about how they are dealing with a “heartbroken locker room” because of their poor play.
“I’ve said this from Day 1: The core of this team has good players,” he said, as reported by ESPN. “We’re getting better each week. It’s sickening we couldn’t win that game. I’m not wrong about the guys in that room…That’s a heartbroken locker room. We’ve got to get them back.”
With many predicting a loss to the Titans in Week 5 that would make the Jaguars the second team in the Super Bowl-era and third team in NFL history to lose 20 consecutive games.
Viral Video Surfaces of Urban Meyer Dancing With Woman at Bar
To add insult to injury, as the Jaguars deal with the worst start in the NFL, a video of Urban Meyer dancing with a woman in a bar this past weekend went viral, dropping the head coach in even more hot water.
In the video, Meyer, who has been married to his wife Shelley Meyer for 35 years, is seen dancing with another woman in what appears to be the Pint House in Short North, Ohio. The clip began to go viral on social media as more fans pointed and confirmed that it was, in fact, 57-year-old Meyer in the video and not a lookalike.
The coach has since apologized for being a “distraction” to the team and how he shouldn’t have put himself in that situation in the first place.
Meyer's Situation in Jacksonville Reaches 'Crisis Point'
The culmination of on-field woes, off-field controversy, and possibly losing the locker room has brought Meyer’s era in Jacksonville to a “crisis point” before even reaching the halfway mark of the NFL season.
According to reporter Michael Silver, some players on the team believe Meyer has “zero credibility in that stadium,” and that he had “very little to begin with.”
Amidst the media hailstorm caused by the viral video of Meyer in the bar this past weekend, Silver cites that players were upset that the coach canceled Monday’s team meeting. “He even canceled the team meeting,” one player reportedly said. “He was too scared.”
The explanation that Meyer also gave the team for the video also didn't suffice, with many laughing after he left the room, creating a deeper rift between the head coach and his team.
With this latest controversy inserting a new wedge between Meyer and the Jaguars, there have been talks around the league that he might be fired. While none of these rumors have been confirmed, Meyer needs to lead the Jaguars to at least one victory in the coming weeks to get out of the hot seat.