JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer apologized to his family, his team and owner Shad Khan for actions he called “just stupid.”
A video surfaced Saturday night showing a woman dancing close to Meyer’s lap, a clip that quickly went viral and made headlines across the country. Another video appears to show Meyer touching the woman’s behind.
Meyer called a team meeting Monday and vowed to “own it,” the motto he uses daily and has plastered all around the Jaguars facility.
“I just apologized to the team and staff for being a distraction,” Meyer told reporters afterward. “Just stupid and so I explained everything that happened and owned it. Just stupid. Should not have put myself in that kind of position.”
Meyer didn’t fly back with his winless team following Jacksonville’s 24-21 loss at Cincinnati on Thursday night. The three-time collegiate national championship-winning coach remained in his home state of Ohio to see family members and went to dinner Friday at his restaurant/bar in Columbus, Urban Meyer’s Pint House.
“I stayed to see the grandkids and we all went to the dinner that night,” he said. “There was a big group next to our restaurant and they wanted me to come over and take pictures, and I did. They were trying to pull me out on the dance floor, screwing around, and I should have left.”
The 9-second video showed a young blond woman dancing between the 57-year-old Meyer’s legs as he was sitting on a bar stool.
“I’ve always been so defensive of (my players),” he said. “I remember when (rookie quarterback) Trevor (Lawrence) told me he was going to go to Vegas for his bachelor party. I was just like, ‘My gosh, man, be careful and surround yourself because I’ve seen this happen.’
“The team, I spoke to a bunch of leaders one on one, spoke to all the players. They’re good. They’re focused on Tennessee. I apologized again for being a distraction. A coach should not be a distraction.”
Meyer said he also apologized to his family.
“Yeah, yeah, of course I did,” he said. “That’s not me. Oh, yeah, they’re upset.”
The Jaguars (0-4) have lost 19 consecutive games, seven shy of tying the NFL record set by Tampa Bay in 1977. Meyer insists they have shown dramatic improvements since Week 1.
But the epic losing streak ranks fairly low on the list of embarrassing missteps for the franchise since it coaxed Meyer out of retirement in January:
— Meyer hired strength coach Chris Doyle in February despite accusations of racist behavior and then had to let him go a day later because of a pending lawsuit.
— Jacksonville was fined $200,000 and Meyer docked $100,000 on July 1, a punishment that stemmed from an early June practice in which the league deemed receivers and defensive backs had too much contact during 11-on-11 drills.
