Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan publicly reprimanded Urban Meyer for the coach’s “inexcusable” behavior at an Ohio bar over the weekend.
Khan released a statement condemning Meyer’s actions, which were captured on video and released on social media. One shows a young woman dancing close to Meyer’s lap as he sits on a bar stool, a clip that quickly went viral. A second, more damning video appears to show Meyer touching the woman’s behind.
“I have addressed this matter with Urban. Specifics of our conversation will be held in confidence. What I will say is his conduct last weekend was inexcusable,” Khan said. “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 apologised Monday to his family, team and Khan. He called a team meeting and vowed to “own it,” the motto he uses daily and has plastered all around the Jaguars facility.
“Just stupid,” Meyer said. “Should not have put myself in that kind of position.”
Meyer didn’t fly back with his winless team following Jacksonville’s 24-21 loss at Cincinnati on Thursday night, a highly unusual move for any coach. Instead, he remained in his home state of Ohio to see family members and went to dinner Friday at his restaurant/bar in Columbus, Urban Meyer’s Pint House.
“There was a big group next to our restaurant and they wanted me to come over and take pictures, and I did,” Meyer said. “They were trying to pull me out on the dance floor, screwing around, and I should have left.”
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The first video shows a young blond woman dancing between the 57-year-old Meyer’s legs as he was sitting on a bar stool. The second, taken from a different angle, shows Meyer’s right hand on or near her bottom.
The Jaguars (0-4) have lost 19 consecutive games, seven shy of tying the NFL record set by Tampa Bay in 1977. Meyer insists they have shown dramatic improvements since Week 1.
Meyer said he’s concerned the videos could have long-term ramifications with players he has asked to buy into his makeover.
“I have a very good relationship with our players,” Meyer said. “I’ve dealt with this, not on the other side but with staff members and with other things, and I’ve dealt with it. So to say I’m concerned, yeah, I am concerned. But I just got to do right.”
And it appears Meyer’s fears have been confirmed.
According to the NFL Network’s Michael Silver, the coach’s apology to the team didn’t go down well.
“The Urban Meyer situation in Jacksonville has reached a crisis point, especially in the locker room,” Silver tweeted. “One player told me, ‘He has zero credibility in that stadium. He had very little to begin with’.
“Players were particularly put off by the fact that Meyer cancelled 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 cancelled the team meeting. He was too scared’, a player said.
“Instead Meyer ‘only apologised to position groups individually’. He portrayed the woman in the videos as a random person who was ‘just there dancing’. Suffice it to say, his audience was highly sceptical.
“Said one player: ‘We looked at him like, WTF? Right when he left everyone started dying laughing. And he knew it’.
“Bottom line, said the player: ‘It’s bad. I don’t know how he’s gonna function’.”
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