Watch: Jacksonville Jaguars HC Urban Meyer apologizes for viral video at bar
Jacksonville Jaguars HC Urban Meyer issued an apology in a press conference after a video and some photos of him went viral over the weekend. The Jaguars went 0-4 after Thursday Night Football where they lost to the Cincinnati Bengals. With a weekend off, Urban Meyer went out to a bar and was put in an awkward situation when he started to trend on Twitter.
WARNING: The video below contains footage that may be NSFW
Is this why Urban Meyer is trending? 😳 https://t.co/nFg8kUFVli
At first, a video surfaced of a man who looked like Urban Meyer sitting on a stool at a bar with a woman dancing and grinding into his lap. People poked fun at the video since the man resembles Meyer. However, photos surfaced, proving it was in fact Urban Meyer in the video. Several photos of Meyer posing with various women at the bar started to circulate on Twitter. One was captioned: "Who is this he keeps flirting with me".
@Juicewag @freak_leader Further confirming that it was in fact Urban Meyer https://t.co/qhMFzNwFV4
Everyone is allowed to have a personal and social life, even NFL head coaches. However, they must also remember they are under the microscope much more than the common person. Urban Meyer was a prolific coach at Ohio State and he went out to a bar in Ohio. He was bound to be recognized by someone.
Urban Meyer issues apology
Below is the full explanation of the situation from Urban Meyer's press conference where he issued an apology to his team and family.
Here's #Jaguars HC Urban Meyer apologizing for what happened over the weekend. Meyer didn't travel back with the team after the game and stayed in Ohio. Full explanation:
https://t.co/X8plCNWbiQ
He apologized for being a "distraction" to the entire staff and team. He owned the mistake and said he shouldn't have put himself in this sort of position. Meyer did not fly back with the team after the loss and stayed in Ohio to see his grandkids and family. While at dinner with his family at a restaurant, Meyer stated there was a group of people who wanted to take photos after recognizing him. Some of them tried to pull him onto the dance floor, to which Meyer said he should have just left after that. Funny enough, Meyer was critical when Trevor Lawrence went to Vegas for his bachelor party and told him to "be careful".
The Jacksonville Jaguars team and staff weren't too worried about the situation and were focusing more on their next game against the Tennessee Titans. When a reporter asked if he felt a need to apologize to his family, Meyer said he had to, stating "they were upset." Meyer also spoke to team owner Shad Khan, who was said to be supportive and behind his coach.
Rumors were spreading that Urban Meyer's wife might have been aware and been alright with the attention her husband was getting, but his statement shuts down those rumors. Urban Meyer was caught in a poor scenario that reflected badly on him and he may have had too much alcohol to think rationally in the moment. It happens to the best of us and mistakes are made. The biggest takeaway is that Urban Meyer didn't have a promising start in Jacksonville before this occurred.
Urban Meyer is being investigated by the NFLPA for his comments on considering vaccination status when making cuts.
Bill Belichick gave an interesting response when asked if Cam Newton's vaccination status had anything to do with his release #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE https://t.co/Rz52aknPWw
The NFL investigated the Jaguars after Meyer made a comment that they had factored vaccination status into their roster cuts, but there was no true evidence found. Starting the season 0-4 with some questionable roster moves can't possibly have Urban Meyer sitting pretty with the front office of the Jaguars. The incident might not be the straw that broke the camel's back, but Meyer could be on a short leash behind the scenes.