Jaguars Owner Shad Khan Considered Firing Urban Meyer for 'Weeks,' Spokesman Says

Jacksonville Jaguars spokesperson Jim Woodcock said team owner Shad Khan had considered firing Urban Meyer for "weeks" and finalized the decision after a conversation with the embattled head coach following Sunday's shutout loss to the Tennessee Titans.

Jim Woodcock told Mark Long of the Associated Press on Friday night the decision to fire Meyer early Thursday morning wasn't a direct result of former Jags kicker Josh Lambo alleging the coach kicked him during an August practice:

"The announcement was made at 12:35 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, December 16, to provide coaches and staff alike a fresh start upon reporting to the stadium that morning. Contrary to incorrect assumptions and widespread egregious reporting, the dismissal was not triggered by a single newspaper report late Wednesday afternoon related to a claim made by a former player."

"To repeat from Shad's official statement, the decision was reached 'after deliberation over many weeks and a thorough analysis of the entirety of Urban's tenure with our team.'"

Woodcock explained the discussion between Khad and Meyer after the Titans loss yielded "few answers for the team's woes or how he planned to fix them" from the coach.

While that sealed Meyer's fate, the Jaguars owner decided to wait until after some previously scheduled events during the week to make the announcement.

"It was determined to wait until the conclusion of previously scheduled appointments that week to make the announcement," Woodcock told Long. "Those appointments included an employee staff luncheon and meeting with Jacksonville media, both to recognize the 10th anniversary of Shad's purchase of the Jaguars, on Monday as well as NFL meetings in Dallas on December 14 and 15."

Thursday's firing marked the end of a tumultuous 11-month NFL tenure for the former Florida and Ohio State college coach.

In July, the league fined the Jags $200,000 and Meyer $100,000 for a violation of rules preventing contact during offseason practices.

Meyer then landed on the hot seat in October when videos were posted on social media that showed a woman who wasn't his wife dancing on him in an Ohio bar. The coach had stayed back in his home state to visit family after a Week 4 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Those two situations combined with Lambo's allegations and the Jags' 2-11 record during his first season in charge led to his quick exit from Jacksonville.

Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will serve as the interim coach for the final four weeks of the regular season.

The Jaguars will then search for a new head coach in the offseason, which will mark the fifth different leader of the coaching staff since Khan purchased the team in January 2012. They've reached the playoffs just once over that span.