AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, File
Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan said that it “was not about wins and losses” when the team fired head coach Urban Meyer just 13 games into the 2021 season.
“When you lose the respect, the trust and an issue of truthfulness, how can you work with someone like that?” Khan told Jarrett Bell of USA Today. “It’s not possible.”
Meyer went just 2-11 during his short tenure in Jacksonville, yet it was a different situation compared to previous coaches Doug Marrone and Gus Bradley, who also struggled on the field but were given multiple seasons to try to improve.
“I have nothing but the utmost respect and friendship with them,” Khan said. “That’s why they got the time, because it wasn’t a matter about respect or truth. It was a matter of wins and losses over four years. This is much bigger than that.”
Bradley had a 14-48 record across four seasons while Marrone went 23-43 in parts of five years. Meyer didn’t get nearly as long of a leash due to his behavior outside of games.
The former Ohio State and Florida head coach first made headlines when he chose not to travel back with the team after a Week 4 loss and was later seen in videos dancing at a bar with a woman who was not his wife.
There were later reports about his negative treatment of players and coaches, including allegedly kicking former kicker Josh Lambo, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported in December that tensions had been boiling over, with Meyer reportedly berating his assistant coaches in a meeting while calling them losers.
A member of the football operations staff called it “the most toxic environment I’ve ever been a part of,” per Jayson Jenks and Mike Sando of The Athletic.
The Jaguars fired Meyer for cause and don’t intend to pay the total of his initial five-year contract, worth a reported $10-12 million per year, via Bell. The two sides have reportedly been unable to reach a settlement agreement.
