Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer continued his rounds of apologies on Wednesday, this time addressing his team about his behavior in Ohio last week.
NFL Network characterized Meyer as “honest and pretty forthright” as he talked to the players, adding he “expressed remorse and asked for forgiveness.”
Meyer has been under fire since a video emerged on Saturday that showed him at a bar he owns in Columbus with a young woman dancing close to him. A second video emerged Monday, taken from another angle, that appeared to show Meyer touching the woman’s bottom.
He told reporters at a news conference Wednesday that while owner Shad Khan has expressed disappointment, Meyer has not been fined. The embattled first-year coach also said he hasn’t considered resigning.
Meyer and his wife, Shelley, have been married since 1986 and have three children. The woman in the video has not been identified but was not Shelley Meyer.
The NFL Network report said Meyer told the team he “cares about two things, really. Football and family, and he embarrassed them both.”
Meyer, 57, discussed the fallout Tuesday night on his radio show on station 1010XL in Jacksonville.
“I made a comment when I got here about the logo, about an owner who wants to win in the worst way,” Meyer said. “That’s one of the reasons I came here. I just, I admire that guy so much. … And so, that’s what makes me so angry at myself that I lived that, I believe that and I failed.”
He said the conversations he’s been forced to hold this week with members of the organizations have been “horrible.”
“The fact that I became a distraction, I’ve got to earn their trust back from that,” Meyer said.
On Tuesday, Khan said Meyer must do just that.
“I have addressed this matter with Urban,” Khan wrote in a statement. “… 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.”
Meyer is in his first year with the Jaguars after leading Florida and Ohio State to three national titles.
The Jaguars are 0-4 and have lost 19 consecutive games dating back to their victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the 2020 season opener. Jacksonville squandered a 14-point halftime lead last Thursday and lost a 24-21 heartbreaker to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Meyer also has been criticized for not accompanying his young team back to Florida and instead remaining in Ohio to visit with his grandchildren.
He told reporters Wednesday that he got the OK from general manager Trent Baalke to stay in Ohio.
