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Urban Meyer Rumors: Jaguars Insiders Think Execs Will Have 'No Choice but to' Fire HC
October 10, 2021
Urban Meyer's time as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars may be short-lived.
According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, many within the team "believe the damage done from Meyer's actions last weekend will end up dooming his tenure there and leaving ownership with no choice but to move on by 2022."
Jacksonville is off to an 0-4 start this season, and Meyer is under further scrutiny after a video showing a woman dancing on him in an Ohio bar spread across social media.
While the 57-year-old's job is still secure, his actions drew a statement from Jaguars owner Shad Khan that said he had to "regain" the team's trust after his "inexcusable" conduct:
Meyer's decision not to fly back with the team following a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals made an already dire situation even worse.
La Canfora reported his "issues interacting with coaches and players, plus the low morale from a rocky preseason, were already significant problems even before the season began." What's more, he was "fighting for respect" in regard to his ability to coach in the NFL following the winless start.
Then, the video was released after Meyer stayed in Ohio instead of traveling back to Jacksonville with his team.
While the coach told reporters during his press conference he remained in Ohio to see his grandchildren and was out to dinner with his family when another group of people attempted to get him out on the dance floor, many with the team did not appreciate his response.
They "were further blindsided by Meyer's initial reaction to the images appearing on the internet, imploring the coaches to speak to the players about the situation, cancelling their Monday meeting and waiting until Wednesday to speak to the entire roster."
One agent for a player called the coach "a laughingstock in that locker room," while a Jaguars staff member said his response was "pretty gutless."
That echoes a previous report from Michael Silver of NFL.com:
The Jaguars are also staring at an uphill battle on the field. They face the division-rival Tennessee Titans on Sunday and have not won a game since their season opener in 2020. They showed some fight in the 24-21 loss to the Bengals, which the team could have built upon during the last week of practice.
Instead, Jacksonville's head coach has dominated the headlines.