Jags owner Shad Khan releases a statement on Urban Meyer’s firing
Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan met his breaking point with coach Urban Meyer and fired him Thursday, likely ending his NFL career at just 13 games. Meyer’s career in the NFL was one full of controversial moments from the start, and he never could steer away from being in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.
However, it appears a report from the Tampa Bay Times was the last straw, as former Jags kicker Josh Lambo claimed that Meyer kicked him and called him out of his name in the Jags’ Week 3 preseason game in Dallas. It seems as if it was a tactic to make Lambo perform better, however, the veteran let Meyer know he didn’t appreciate being kicked, and the first-year head coach told him that he could do whatever he wanted.
The story of course went viral on the web and garnered many eyes, which made Khan speed up a firing process that was bound to happen anyway. With such an important decision being made, Khan released a statement afterward on the situation, which stated that offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell would be the interim coach to finish the season.
Darrell Bevell will serve as interim head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars for the balance of the 2021 season. Darrell succeeds Urban Meyer. After deliberation over many weeks and a thorough analysis of the entirety of Urban’s tenure with our team, I am bitterly disappointed to arrive at the conclusion that an immediate change is imperative for everyone. I informed Urban of the change this evening. As I stated in October, regaining our trust and respect was essential. Regrettably, it did not happen.
Trent Baalke continues as our general manager and will work with Darrell to ensure that our team will be inspired and competitive while representing Jacksonville proudly over our final four games of the season. In the spirit of closure and recharging our players, staff and fan base, I will not comment further until some point following the conclusion of the NFL season.
As Khan mentioned, Meyer was tasked with earning the organization’s trust back in October after a video of him with a woman that wasn’t his wife dancing on his lap went viral. The video, where Meyer was seen touching her below the waist, surfaced after Meyer lost his fourth straight game in Cincinnati and didn’t fly back home with the team.
However, Meyer never got it together, and a report from NFL Network claimed that he was the key figure behind a dysfunctional work environment where he wasn’t getting along with players or his staff. The report mentioned an awkward meeting where Meyer challenged his assistants to defend their résumés while calling them “losers” and mentioned an argument with receiver Marvin Jones Jr., who didn’t appreciate criticisms Meyer placed on the receivers.
Of course, there were many other incidents, too, that brought it to this point and now the Jags are on the coaching market for the second consecutive season. Only time will tell what direction they go from here, but for now, the team is Bevell’s to lead.
