On Monday, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer said he’d spoken with the players regarding the viral video incident over the weekend that had created, in his words, a “distraction.”
However, according to a Twitter thread by NFL insider Michael Silver, players said that Meyer had actually canceled the morning meeting and instead met with position groups in smaller settings instead of addressing the whole team.
On Wednesday, Meyer said he finally addressed his entire team and apologized for the incident and fallout. Meyer told reporters that he had a “very pointed conversation” with the players, “owning a stupid mistake.”
He also responded to comments by owner Shad Khan and a need for him to earn back trust.
“The message is loud and clear and I agree with (it),” Meyer said. “I met with the team Monday individually and then today. I had a very pointed conversation with them, owning the stupid mistake that I made. A job of a coach is No. 1 the health and safety of a player, No. 2 is to motivate them and bring out the greatness in them, and No. 3 is give everything possible to be successful and have a great locker room, and then get the heck out of the way. And I apologized for a distraction with this huge week coming up, especially after they made so much improvement from Week 1 to Week 4. That was the conversation.”
As for why he hadn’t spoken to the entire team before Wednesday, Meyer said that he preferred to meet with players in small settings rather than in large groups.
“I’m not a big team meeting guy…”
Urban Meyer said, in his opinion, a lot doesn’t get done in a big team meeting. He’s always felt it’s better to meet guys in smaller groups, in their personal space; better for developing relationships that way
— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) October 6, 2021
There has been a lot of speculation about how long Meyer will remain with the Jaguars, even before the weekend incident. While there are plenty of reasons for Urban to stick it out in Jacksonville, there were concerns this incident might hasten his exit. However, Meyer said that has never been a consideration.
Urban Meyer said he didn’t consider resigning.
Asked a personal question about the state of his marriage, Meyer said this “speedbump” won’t affect their 37yrs together
— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) October 6, 2021
Meyer is hoping that the drama surrounding the videos and photos will die down now, though some questions do remain. But if the Jaguars are able to beat the Tennessee Titans this weekend, that might actually be exactly what he and the team need to actually move forward.
“A win — as far as the organization and the team — will do wonders.”
— Urban Meyer
— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) October 6, 2021
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.