Urban Meyer #
Introduction #
Urban Meyer, one of the most decorated coaches in college football history, saw his reputation collapse during a single, disastrous NFL season. After winning national championships at Florida and Ohio State, he came out of retirement in 2021 to take his first NFL job as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but was fired 13 games into his first and only season after a 2-11 start. Owner Shad Khan dismissed him in the early hours of December 16, 2021, and the team later fired him for cause, indicating it would not pay the final four years of his contract.
From a strength coach hire accused of racism to a viral video of Meyer with a woman at his own restaurant and an accusation that he kicked a player, his 11-month tenure was one incident after another.
Background Information #
Urban Frank Meyer III was born July 10, 1964, in Toledo, Ohio, and raised in Ashtabula, Ohio. He coached at the collegiate level as head coach of Bowling Green (2001–2002), Utah (2003–2004), Florida (2005–2010), and Ohio State (2012–2018). His college record was 187-32, with BCS national championships at Florida in 2006 and 2008 and the first College Football Playoff title at Ohio State in 2014 — one of only four coaches to win a major national championship at two universities.
He retired in 2019 after the Rose Bowl and worked as an analyst for Fox Sports’ Big Noon Kickoff before returning in 2021 as the Jaguars’ sixth full-time head coach. Khan, who pursued Meyer as soon as he fired Doug Marrone, said, “I got it right.”
Trouble began before the season was played. Meyer hired former Iowa strength coach Chris Doyle despite accusations of racist remarks and bullying; he resigned less than 48 hours later after protests, including a statement from the Fritz Pollard Alliance denouncing “A Failure of Leadership by the Jacksonville Jaguars.” In July the NFL fined Meyer $100,000 and the Jaguars $200,000 for violating rules on contact during off-season practices.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #
The turning point came in early October 2021, when a video appeared to show Meyer inappropriately touching a woman who was not his wife while at his Columbus-area restaurant, Urban Meyer’s Pint House, one day after a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, before a second video surfaced more clearly showing the same. He stayed in Ohio instead of returning with the team and apologized, calling his behavior “stupid” for creating a “distraction,” but Khan said the conduct was “inexcusable” and that Meyer “must regain our trust and respect.”
In early December, an NFL Media report described turmoil in the locker room and coaching staff because Meyer demanded his assistants defend their records and had a heated argument with wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr., said to have left the stadium and refused to return until talked back. Meyer disputed the characterizations; Jones confirmed his version.
The final break came on December 15, 2021, when former Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo publicly accused Meyer of physical abuse, saying Meyer repeatedly kicked his leg during warmups before the final preseason game. When Lambo told Meyer never to kick him again, Meyer allegedly responded, “I’m the head ball coach. I’ll kick you whenever the fuck I want.” Lambo also said Meyer threatened to cut him in the team’s dining facility; Meyer denied the incident in a statement.
Within hours, Khan fired Meyer, saying: “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… Regrettably, it did not happen.” Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell was named interim coach.
Meyer finished 2-11 (.154), a tenure tied with Lou Holtz and Bobby Petrino for the fourth-shortest in NFL history and the worst winning percentage of any non-interim head coach since Cam Cameron’s .063 with the Miami Dolphins in 2007.
Public Reaction and Consequences #
The firing was reported as the culmination of a chaotic tenure rather than a response to any single incident. A person familiar with the termination told the AP the decision was not tied to any one incident, that he was fired for cause, and that the team did not intend to pay the final four years of his contract.
In his first comments after hastily leaving the facility, Meyer told NFL.com: “I just apologize to Jacksonville… I love Jacksonville. It’s one of the reasons I took the job. I still think Shad’s a great owner.” He added, “I tell people losing eats away at your soul.” AP noted that Florida’s at-will employment laws could make it tougher for Meyer to prove he was wrongly fired or owed the remainder of his contract.
On January 26, 2022, Meyer called the tenure “the worst experience I’ve had in my professional lifetime,” said he experienced “depression,” and added: “I’d stare at the ceilings and [think] ‘are we doing everything possible’ because I really believed we had a roster that was good enough to win games. I just don’t think we did a great job.”
Current Status #
As of August 2026, Meyer has rebuilt his public career in broadcasting: he went back to Fox Sports to resume his role on Big Noon Kickoff, and in January 2025 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame — an honor based on his college career rather than his NFL record.
Impact on Their Career/Life #
The Jacksonville season recast the reputation of one of college football’s most successful coaches. His 2-11 record placed him among the shortest and least successful coaching tenures in NFL history.
The season also added to a pattern of controversy from his college years: 31 of his players were arrested during his six years as Florida’s coach, and a Sporting News exposé suggested he created a toxic locker-room culture built around a favored “Circle of Trust.” In 2018, Ohio State placed him on paid administrative leave after reports that he knew about spousal abuse allegations against assistant coach Zach Smith, then suspended him for three games.
Despite the NFL failure, Meyer’s college legacy — 187-32, three national championships — secured his Hall of Fame induction, and his analyst role at Fox restored his national profile. But Jacksonville altered how he is remembered: a coach who won everywhere in college yet flamed out in the NFL in just 13 games, undone as much by his behavior off the field as by the losses on it.