Urban Meyer spoke out for the first time since being fired from the Jacksonville Jaguars last week during an appearance on NFL Network.
He didn’t take responsibility for the disappointing record or allegations against him for the way he treated players and staff. Instead, he deflected the blame onto NFL culture.
“I think everything is so fragile right now. And that includes coaching staffs. When I got into coaching, coaches weren’t making this kind of money and they didn’t have agents. Everything is so fragile where it used to be team, team, team. I remember talking about it in a staff meeting three days ago. I got into this profession because I had the greatest high school coach and it was all about the team. All about the huddle.”
He talked about how important winning is to him and insinuated that winning wasn’t important to anyone else because they still had paychecks at the end of the day.
What’s next for Meyer is yet to be determined. It’s doubtful that another NFL team will take a chance on him after the drama that ensued in Jacksonville this season. With Meyer’s appearance and willingness to talk to NFL Network, there has been speculation that he may try to get back into broadcasting. He formerly spent time as an analyst for ESPN.
While he doesn’t take the blame for what happened, he says he feels bad for how his tenure went for the city of Jacksonville.
“I just apologize to Jacksonville,” Meyer told NFL Network. “I love Jacksonville. It’s one of the reasons I took the job. I still think Shad [Khan is] a great owner. It’s heartbreaking. I just had a dream of it becoming a destination place with a new facility he agreed to build and someday to walk into that stadium where it’s standing room only. Because I know how bad the people of Jacksonville want it.”
One of the greatest college football coach’s career in the NFL lasted 11 months. At just 57 years old, Meyer will likely find his way back into football in one way or the other.
