Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan released a statement Tuesday saying Urban Meyer needs to “regain our trust and respect” after a weekend incident between the married head coach and a young woman was caught on video.
Khan’s statement comes a day after Meyer apologized to the team, fans, and his family for the incident, which was recorded at a bar in Columbus, Ohio. The video went viral on social media.
“I have addressed this matter with Urban,” Khan wrote. “His conduct last weekend was inexcusable. I appreciate Urban’s remorse, which I believe is sincere. Now, he must regain our trust and respect. That will require a personal commitment from Urban to everyone who supports, represents or plays for our team. I am confident he will deliver.”
The video showed Meyer sitting on a barstool with his hands on the woman who was dancing on him. After his apology Monday for “being a distraction,” calling his actions “stupid,” another video of the incident was released and went viral, too.
Meyer, 57, acknowledged that his family is “upset.” He and his wife, Shelley, have three children and two grandchildren.
Meyer is off to an 0-4 start in his NFL debut season. The Jaguars will host the Tennessee Titans (2-2) on Sunday, though the head coach has seemingly lost the locker room just four games into his head-coaching stint in Jacksonville.
NFL insider Michael Silver reported that the “Urban Meyer situation in Jacksonville has reached a crisis point.
“One player told me, ‘He has zero credibility in that stadium. He had very little to begin with,'” Silver wrote. “Players were particularly put off by the fact that Meyer canceled Monday’s team meeting, as he dealt with the uproar over the videos of him and a young woman getting cozy in that Ohio bar. ‘He even canceled the team meeting. He was too scared,’ a player said.”
With the team going nowhere and the development of No. 1 pick and perceived franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence being a top priority, Meyer’s actions are only putting his job in jeopardy — and that’s certainly catapulting his name toward the top of the oddsmaker’s lists as the first head coach to be fired this season.
First head coach to be fired, 2021 NFL season
- Urban Meyer, JAX: -200
- Matt Nagy, CHI: +200
- Mike Zimmer, MIN: +500
- Joe Judge, NYG: +700
- Brian Flores, MIA: +1200
- Mike Tomlin, PIT: +1500
- Frank Reich, IND: +2000
Odds courtesy of SportsLine.com
Reuters
This report from Reuters contained additional reporting from Metro’s Joe Pantorno.
