After a dismal 2-11 season and several scandalous off-the-field incidents, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer has been sacked before the end of his first year with the team.
“After deliberation over many weeks and a thorough analysis of the entirety of Urban’s tenure with our team, I am bitterly disappointed to arrive at the conclusion that an immediate change is imperative for everyone,” owner Shad Khan said in a statement per ESPN.
“As I stated in October, regaining our trust and respect was essential. Regrettably, it did not happen.”
Meyer helmed the Jaguars’ 10th season with double-digit losses in the last 11 years, but his behavior outside of games has been a bigger issue.
In October, a young blonde woman who was not his wife was filmed grinding against an apparently inebriated Meyer in his own restaurant. He appeared to grope the same woman in a second video.
Meyer also hired a strength and conditioning coordinator who had previously been accused of making racist remarks and bullying Black players. Most recently, former Jags kicker Josh Lambo said that Meyer kicked him during a preseason game.
“I’m in a lunge position. Left leg forward, right leg back,” Lambo told the Tampa Bay Times Times per NFL.com. “Urban Meyer, while I’m in that stretch position, comes up to me and says, ‘Hey dipshit, make your fucking kicks!’ And kicks me in the leg.”
“Pardon my vulgarity, I said, ‘Don’t you ever fucking kick me again!’ And his response was, ‘I’m the head ball coach, I’ll kick you whenever the fuck I want.'”
Not anymore. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will step in as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
See reactions to Meyers’ firing below: