Who is Chris Doyle? Why was Urban Meyer subpoenaed in a case involving the former strength and conditioning coach?
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer was subpoenaed by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa in a case pertaining to former Iowa strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle.
Chris Doyle was employed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as the Director of Sports Performance for just one day in February when allegations against him came to light. Now it seems the courts believe the Jaguars and Urban Meyer have some information they need in the case against Doyle.
Urban Meyer, Jacksonville Jaguars insist they don't know anything
Chris Doyle stands accused of discrimination while he was employed as the Strength and Conditioning coach at the University of Iowa; a position he held from 1999 to 2020. Doyle was fired from the position in June 2020 and was given a lump sum of 15 months of salary, which came up to about $1.1 million, as part of the agreement for him to leave Iowa.
On February 11, 2021, the Jacksonville Jaguars and head coach Urban Meyer hired Doyle to be part of the new staff at the franchise. He was a member of the Jaguars staff for just one day. In full knowledge of the fact that he was the subject of an investigation and amid backlash from the Jaguars, Doyle was forced to resign.
The University of Iowa and Chris Doyle are being sued for $20 million by former collegiate athletes who claim that they were subject to discrimination, racist comments and belittling.
Now, the courts and lawyers want to know what information Meyer and the Jaguars - specifically general manager Trent Baalke - may have. It is believed they may have information regarding the case because they would have had to interview Doyle about the allegations prior to his hiring.
The Jaguars organization claims it doesn't have any information regarding the case. The statement the Jaguars released states:
"We respect and will cooperate with the legal process as required," the statement said. "However, the Jaguars have no information that would be relevant to the lawsuit between student-athletes and the University of Iowa."
Chris Doyle was also part of another headline-making scandal in 2011 while employed with Iowa. He held a tortoruous training session that left 13 Iowa football players severely sick. They were later diagnosed with a kidney infection rhabdomyolysis.
Where this situation goes remains to be seen. But it seems that Urban Meyer just can't stay away from the headlines.