Jaguars owner Shad Khan elected to fire coach Urban Meyer early Thursday morning midway through Meyer's first year with the franchise.
Meyer went just 2–11 during his tenure as the Jaguars' coach. His stint with the franchise was also filled with plenty of drama, making numerous headlines for his conduct both on and off the field.
Khan said in a statement that, "After deliberation over many weeks and a thorough analysis of the entirety of Urban's tenure with our team, I am bitterly disappointed to arrive at the conclusion that an immediate change is imperative for everyone."
"I informed Urban of the change this evening. As I stated in October, regaining our trust and respect was essential. Regrettably, it did not happen."
After compiling a 187–32 coaching record at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State, Meyer was hired as the Jaguars coach last January. His tenure, however, will be marked largely by all the drama that it created.
Among it, and just hours before Meyer was dismissed, the Tampa Bay Times published a story that featured former Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo saying that Meyer once kicked him during practice.
“I’m in a lunge position. Left leg forward, right leg back,” Lambo said. “... Urban Meyer, while I’m in that stretch position, comes up to me and says, ‘Hey dips---, make your f------g kicks.’ And kicks me in the leg.”
With Meyer now away from the team, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will step in as interim head coach for the Jaguars. They are set to face off against the Texans this Sunday with kickoff set for 1 p.m. ET.
"In the spirit of closure and recharging our players, staff and fan base, I will not comment further until some point following the conclusion of the NFL season," Khan said.
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