Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer was in the news for all the wrong reasons. Meyer, who stayed back in Ohio after his team fell to the Cincinnati Bengals 24-21 on Thursday, was caught on video with a female who was not his wife dancing very close to him.
On Monday, at a press conference, Meyer explained what happened.
“I stayed to see the grandkids, and we all went to dinner that night at a restaurant,” Meyer 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’ve left.”
According to Meyer, he apologized to the team, longtime wife, Shelley, and his family.
“I just apologized to the team and staff for being a distraction,” Meyer said. “It’s stupid, so I explained everything that happened and owned it and just stupid. [I] should not have myself in that kind of position..
“I’ve always been so defensive of them. I remember when Trevor [Lawrence] told me he was going to go to Vegas for his bachelor party. I was like, ‘Oh 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 and spoke to all the players. They’re good. They were focused on Tennessee, and I apologized again for being a distraction. A coach should not be a distraction.”
Meyer did say GM Trent Baalke and owner Shad Khan were supportive of him.
“I did talk to Shad [Khan], and [he was] very supportive,” he said. “[General Manager] Trent [Baalke], I talked to him obviously at length right when I got that phone call that night, the next night.”
It’s an embarrassing situation for Meyer, and he’s concerned that this could be a distraction for his team.
“I am concerned about that. I have a very good relationship with our players,” he said. “I’ve dealt with this on the other side 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 have to do right.”
