Urban Meyer was seen dancing with a woman at a bar in Ohio after not leaving with the Jaguars.- Meyer told reporters he apologized to the team and said he didn't want to be a distraction.
- Meyer's job seems to be in danger, as there are reports of him losing the locker room.
Urban Meyer's job as
Meyer's Jaguars are 0-4, and there have been reports of him struggling to adapt to the NFL and losing his temper with staffers.
Things got uglier this past week. Meyer stayed behind in Ohio to visit his family after the Jaguars lost to the Cincinnati Bengals on a last-minute, game-winning field goal. According to ESPN's Michelle Steele, that alone is a rare event - she could find no evidence of a head coach not leaving with his team since Bill Parcels with the New England Patriots after the 1997 Super Bowl. He didn't coach for the team again.
However, over the weekend, a video emerged of Meyer at his restaurant in Columbus, Urban Meyer's Pint House, sitting at the bar while a young woman danced near his lap. Another video appeared to show Meyer touching the woman's butt. Both videos went viral.
On Monday, Meyer spoke to reporters and said he apologized to the team and his family.
"I just apologized to the team and staff for being a distraction," Meyer said, via ESPN's Michael DiRocco. "Just stupid, and so I explained everything that happened and owned it. Just stupid. Should not have myself in that kind of position."
Meyer said a group of people at the restaurant were taking pictures with him and trying to get him on the dance floor. He said he should have left.
Meyer also said he was concerned how the videos would affect his reputations with the players.
"I am concerned about that. I have a very good relationship with our players ... So to say I'm concerned, yeah I am concerned, but I just got to do right."
On Tuesday, Jaguars owner Shad Khan released a statement calling Meyer's actions "inexcusable" and saying Meyer had to rebuild his trust with the team.
-Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 5, 2021
It's unclear if Meyer will survive the incident, the latest in a bumpy start to his NFL coaching career.
NFL reporter and former Patriots executive Michael Lombardi reported on Tuesday that there are "closed-door" discussions happening around the team and that things could get "ugly."
It appears that Meyer has lost the Jaguars locker room. Former NFL reporter Mike Silver tweeted on Tuesday that a Jaguars player said Meyer had little credibility among players in the first place. Another told Silver that the team began laughing after Meyer apologized for the Ohio incident.
-Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) October 5, 2021
-Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) October 5, 2021
On "NFL Live," former NFL defensive end Marcus Spears called for the Jaguars to fire Meyer.
"I played football nine years in the NFL. Every head coach I ever had said, 'Don't be the guy to take focus off of what we're doing as a football team as we try to win games,''" Spears said. "It was a message that resonated throughout every locker room I've ever been.
"Shad Khan, you on the clock, bro. It's time for you to find another head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars."