Jan 1, 2019; Pasadena, CA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer and wife Shelley Meyer walk off the field after the 2019 Rose Bowl against the Washington Huskies at the Rose Bowl. Ohio State defeated Washington 28-23. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
COVID-19NFLBy Sean Keeley on

However bright Urban Meyer expected the spotlight to be on him when he took the job as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, it probably feels even brighter at the moment. That’s especially true because his high-profile status and controversial stature don’t just invite interest in what he says and does but also onto his family.

Urban had to contend with rumors of discontent during the offseason, strong reactions to Jacksonville’s first game of the season, and speculations about how long he’ll stick around. His lack of availability has been called into question, asking fans to “hang in there” was met with derision, and even an off-hand admission about how tough the NFL is can become news.

One interesting tidbit that has been glossed over in recent weeks was the fact that Meyer admitted that he considered COVID vaccination status when he made cuts during the off-season.

“Everyone was considered,” Meyer said. “That was part of the [considerations such as] production, let’s start talking about this, and also is he vaccinated or not? Can I say that that was a decision-maker? It was certainly in consideration.”

That led to an NFLPA investigation to see if Meyer was overstepping a boundary. League rules prohibit teams from using vaccination status to inform their employment decisions.

Those comments became even more curious on Wednesday when the Twitterfeed of Shelley Meyer, Urban’s wife, gained attention for her anti-vaccine takes.

As Comeback Media’s Ben Koo notes, Meyer is a registered nurse with a teaching position at Ohio State’s medical school.

Some might say that it’s none of our business what Shelley Meyer thinks of the COVID vaccine and it has no bearing on Urban or the Jaguars. However, as Slate contributor Alex Kirschner reminds us, Urban has included her in his dealing with the Jaguars as a kind of counselor and discipline guru.

As you can imagine, there have been some interesting reactions from the media world to these tweets.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t new information. Meyer’s stance on vaccines has been well-documented for a while on Twitter. It’s hard to believe the NFL won’t want to get involved at some point, especially given her involvement with the Jaguars.

[Ben Koo]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director 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.

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