Jaguars owner irked by videos
Says Meyer’s conduct was inexcusable
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After a second video surfaced Monday showing Urban Meyer touching a woman’s backside in a restaurant bar in Columbus, Ohio, Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a statement issued Tuesday his head football coach’s conduct was inexcusable.
‘‘I have addressed this matterwith Urban. Specifics of our conversation will be held in confidence,‘‘ Khan said. ‘‘What I will say is his conduct last weekend was inexcusable. I appreciate Urban’s remorse, which I believe is sincere.
‘‘Now, he must regain our trust and respect. That will require a personal commitment from Urban to everyone who supports, represents or plays for our team. I am confident he will deliver.‘‘
The video appears to be from the same event in Columbus, Ohio, where a video surfaced Saturday on Twitter that showed Meyer sitting in a chair while a woman who is not his wife was seen dancing up to him. In the second video, Meyer is seen sitting in a bar stool behind a woman who is standing in front of him, and he appears to touch her backside with his right hand.
Meyer made a public apology during a news conference Monday for causing a distraction, saying he should not have put himself in that type of position.
‘‘Just stupid and so I explained everything that happened and owned it. Just stupid. [I] should not have myself in that kind of position,” Meyer said.
The Meyer era is in a crisis four games into the season. It’s not out of the question the Jaguars could pull the plug if a determination is made that Meyer cannot restore his credibility with his players or continues to put the franchise in a negative light.
Most NFL players and coaches have clauses in their contracts that specifies ramifications for conduct detrimental to the team.
It is Week 5, and the Jaguars (0-4) are playing this Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, their biggest rival, at TIAA Bank Field. And remarkably, Meyer has become the biggest distraction of the week.
Players have been off-limits for interviews since Thursday’s night game at Cincinnati, but NFL.com’s Michael Silver reported Tuesday that he was told by a Jaguars player that Meyer has zero credibility with the team. Meyer admitted Monday that he was unsure how the incident at the bar restaurant would impact his leadership with his players.
“I am concerned about that. I have a very good relationship with our players,‘‘ he said. ‘‘I’ve dealt with this, not on the other side but with staff members and with other things and I’ve dealt with it. So to say I’m concerned, yeah I am concerned, but I just got to do right.”
Another problem for his players could be Meyer’s decision to stay behind instead of catching the flight back to Jacksonville with the team after they lost, 24-21, to the Bengals on a last-second field goal.
Meyer said he remained in Ohio to spend time with his grandkids. The Jaguars players had the weekend off, but it’s not known what day over the weekend the coaching staff started preparations for the Titans. Usually preparations in the NFL begins the next day after playing a game if it’s not an open date week.