Urban Meyer has lost the team’s trust and respect. And don’t take my word for it – that is according to the Jacksonville Jaguars owner. Shad Khan put out a public statement on Tuesday. There has been growing criticism since a video was leaked Saturday night.
Meyer reportedly did not fly home with the Jags after their loss on Thursday night, opting to stay in Ohio for the weekend. By now, most sports fans are aware of Meyer’s bad judgment over the weekend. Meyer was in a bar and a woman who was not his wife was seen dancing by his lap. This is not the first time Meyer’s judgment has been an issue. Now there is a question of whether or not Meyer is the man to lead the team. Khan will keep Meyer for now, but that could change.
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 5, 2021
The Urban Meyer Experience Is Already A Disaster
Expectations From the Owner
As you can see in the above statement, Khan has rebuked Meyer. He also said that to regain trust and respect will require a “personal commitment from Urban to everyone who supports, represents or plays for our team”. Meyer has put himself in a tough spot. Not only are the Jaguars on a 19-game losing streak, but their coach has lost respect. Khan made a big decision when he decided to hire Meyer. Yes, he has a great college legacy in terms of championships. But, Meyer also has a history of problems off the field.
At Florida, Meyer’s players had discipline issues. At Ohio State, Meyer served a three-game suspension for how he handled domestic violence accusations against one of his assistant coaches. Now in Jacksonville, Meyer has shown bad judgment. He has made the road ahead harder for himself. Meyer ironically wrote a book titled “Above the Line: Lessons in Leadership and Life”. Some may say that what Meyer does on his own time is between him and his wife. Regardless of that, Meyer preaches “own it”. He needs to follow his own advice.
[pickup_prop id=”13070″]
Losing the Locker Room
2) 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.
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) October 5, 2021
Michael Silver works with Sports Illustrated and is a nationally respected journalist. He has spoken with a player who believes Meyer has no credibility with his team. Meyer was to meet with the entire team on Monday to discuss and apologize for his actions over the weekend. He reportedly canceled the full-team meeting and only met with position groups. The thread by Silver is damning in terms of the players’ respect for Meyer.
These are grown men, not college players. If Meyer doesn’t have the respect of his players, how can he hope to lead them? This is for sure an embarrassing situation. Did he break the law? No. However, Meyer is the head coach and he preaches accountability.
He chose to behave by a different standard than he would expect from his players. The Jaguars are 0-4 on the season and one loss away from a 20 game losing streak. Perhaps the narrative would be different if the team were 3-1. But they aren’t. Leashes are shorter when you don’t win. Furthermore, this is a big distraction heading into an important divisional matchup.
Urban Meyer has Caused a Distraction Ahead of a Divisional Matchup
The Jaguars are playing the Tennessee Titans this Sunday. It’s an important game. Although the Jags are 0-4, they are only two games behind first place in the AFC South. If the Jags beat the Titans this week, they would only be one game behind the lead with a tiebreaker.
The Jags have shown some steady improvement on the field each week. Yes, they haven’t won yet. But, there have been bright spots each week after Week 1. Especially in Week 4. The team was in the game until the end and Lawrence had his best game yet. That was all until Saturday night. Meyer’s decision to not join the team’s charter flight back to Florida and then his actions in the bar have caused a huge distraction. Can the team overcome this distraction and focus on beating their most hated rival this weekend?
Accountability Starts and Ends With the Head Coach
Meyer on getting the team ready to play the Titans: “I don’t believe that’s in my court. … The leaders on the team are going to make that decision. It depends on how much trust you have built up with them, how we structure everything this week and focus on winning that game. …
— Mark Long (@APMarkLong) October 5, 2021
Urban Meyer seems to have a habit of delegating responsibility. Delegation is a part of leadership. One man can’t do it all. However, as the head coach, it is Meyer’s responsibility to prepare his team to win games. Yes, there are leaders amongst the assistant coaches and players. They must step up like any other time. But Meyer is ultimately responsible for this team. If he can’t handle that, he won’t be long for the NFL.
Meyer has been under a microscope ever since becoming the Jags head coach. Every move is criticized by the media, most of which could be debated. Meyer has himself to blame for this situation and it only hurts his chances for success with Jacksonville. There are high expectations and the team has a generational talent at quarterback who needs good development in his young career. This story could change quickly, but Meyer’s moves going forward will be important. He must regain his team’s trust or face a historically embarrassing departure from the NFL coaching ranks.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
