JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jaguars coach Urban Meyer pledged Tuesday to regain the trust and respect back from everyone in the organization after he was publicly reprimanded by owner Shad Khan for his behavior over the weekend.
“I made a comment when I got here about the logo, about an owner who wants to win in the worst way,” Meyer said on his radio show on 1010 XL in Jacksonville. “That’s one of the reasons I came here. I just, I admire that guy so much. … And so, that’s what makes me so angry at myself that I lived that, I believe that and I failed.
“And I’ve got to get it [the trust and respect] back, and I will.”
Meyer, 57, apologized on Monday in a morning news conference about his actions last Friday, one day after the Jaguars’ 24-21 loss at Cincinnati. Meyer said that he and family members went to his restaurant — Urban Meyer’s Pint House — and that people at a nearby event asked to take photos with him. Meyer said he should have left when people tried to get him to dance with them.
A nine-second video showing Meyer sitting with his back to the bar in an Ohio State pullover while a young woman danced close to his lap was posted to social media Saturday night. Roughly an hour after that news conference, however, another video emerged on social media that appeared to show Meyer touching a woman’s bottom while he was sitting at the bar. The woman appeared to be wearing the same clothes — jeans and a white top — as the woman in the first viral video.
“I have addressed this matter with Urban. Specifics of our conversation will be held in confidence,” Khan said in a statement released on Tuesday morning. “What I will say is his conduct last weekend was inexcusable. I appreciate Urban’s remorse, which I believe is sincere. Now, he must regain our trust and respect. That will require a personal commitment from Urban to everyone who supports, represents or plays for our team. I am confident he will deliver.”
Meyer said on his radio show that the conversations he’s had with people inside the organization about what he did have been “horrible.” He also reiterated his concern that he’s not sure how the incident will impact his ability to lead his team.
“The fact that I became a distraction, I’ve got to earn their trust back from that,” Meyer said.
Meyer is in his first year with the Jaguars after leading Florida and Ohio State to three national titles. The slogan he has chosen for the rebuild of one of the league’s worst franchises is “Own it,” and he admitted Monday that he’s not sure how this incident will impact his leadership with the team.
The Jaguars are 0-4 and have lost 19 consecutive games dating to a victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the 2020 season opener. The Jaguars host Tennessee on Sunday; they have lost seven of the past eight meetings with the Titans. A loss to Tennessee would give the Jaguars the second-longest losing streak in NFL history — only Tampa Bay has a longer losing streak (26 consecutive losses over the 1976 and 1977 seasons).
Meyer said Tuesday his team captains would play a pivotal role in getting the Jaguars back on track and ready to play following several days of distrust.
“I don’t believe that’s in my court,” he said. “The leaders on the team are going to make that decision. It depends on how much trust you have built up with them, how we structure everything this week and focus on winning that game. I’m going to be extremely clear as I can: Our staff is working their tails off. But you know as well as I do that the ownership of this team is with the players.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.