In the upcoming Netflix docuseries “Swamp Kings,” which examines Urban Meyer’s Florida Gators teams in the 2000s, one of the things that will be focused on is why Meyer walked away from the program during the height of their success.
Meyer had a successful run with the Gators winning two national championships, but after losing to Alabama in the 2009 SEC Championship. Not too long afterward, Meyer stepped down as head coach for health reasons.
Meyer admitted he couldn’t handle success or expectations after winning the national championship.
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“We go in the locker room, and I remember grabbing my phone, locking the door, and I can hear them celebrating, and I’m texting recruits worrying about the next class,” he said.
“Uh oh, that one’s over,” Meyer remembered thinking. “Do it again. Right after the game, it was over. Onto the next. “We won two national championships out of the three years. This was an expectation now, An expectation we have to win it next year, and then we have to win it the year after.”
“You know, anything less than winning a national title, you’re a failure,” he added.
It got so bad for Meyer that he couldn’t enjoy the victories anymore, and he admitted to getting addicted to Ambien.
“For me, it was all about the fear of losing that one game,” Meyer said. “Don’t screw this up. Don’t be a failure.”
“I was in a really bad place for a long time,” Meyer recalled. “I started to lose weight, and I became addicted to Ambien. I couldn’t sleep. It got to the point where I’d take two Ambien and drink a beer on top of it just to get four hours of sleep.”
Meyer seems to be in a better place in his life now that he has left the coaching ranks. He currently works as a college football analyst on Fox Sports, which seems to suit him just fine.
Swamp Kings will debut on August 22nd.
