Urban Meyer receives first NFL discipline before even coaching a game
Urban Meyer's NFL coaching career continues to get off to a very Urban Meyer start.
The Jacksonville Jaguars and their new head coach were both hit with heavy fines by the NFL on Thursday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Jaguars were fined $200,000 as well as the forfeiture of two OTA practices in 2022, while Meyer was hit with a personal $100,000 penalty.
The San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys were also reportedly fined smaller amounts for OTA violations.
Mark Long of the Associated Press reports that the Jaguars' fines are for violating non-contact rules during team OTAs, specifically in 11-on-11 drills between wide receivers and defensive backs.
The Jaguars' statement, per NBC Sports:
“We’ve been informed of the fines issued by the league and will accept the NFL discipline as it pertains to a contact violation during practice on June 1. The Jaguars are vigilant about practicing within the CBA rules and will re-emphasize offseason training rules as they relate to contact. We are looking forward to the start of training camp later this month.”
This development likely won't surprise many who followed Meyer's career as a college coach, especially at Florida. Meyer's Gators program remains well-known for impropriety among both players and coaches, and his time at Ohio State wasn't without scandal either.
Meyer's NFL career had already experienced a rocky start thanks to his hire of former Iowa strength coach Chris Doyle, who was let go by the Hawkeyes after a litany of accusations including racist treatment, stepping on players' fingers during workouts and putting 13 players in the hospital with rhabdomyolysis. Doyle eventually resigned from his Jaguars job as well, but criticism of Meyer for his decision didn't go away.
That's been just one part of a very eventful offseason for the Jaguars, whose most well-known personnel moves so far may be the drafting of Trevor Lawrence and the signing of Meyer's old friend Tim Tebow. We'll see if the drama remains once the team actually starts playing games.
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