Jacksonville sits 2–11 this season and the reported firing comes hours after a report was published that he kicked a former player.
Urban Meyer is out as Jacksonville's coach despite being with the franchise for less than a season. ESPN's Adam Schefter was the first to report the news Wednesday night, and Jaguars owner Shad Khan soon released a statement to confirm the dismissal.
"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," Khan said. "As I stated in October, regaining our trust and respect was essential. Regrettably, it did not happen."
Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will step in as interim head coach, Khan added.
The Jaguars have accumulated a 2–11 record this campaign under his tenure, their only wins coming against the Bills and Dolphins. Meyer's time with the franchise has been filled with drama, making headlines for his conduct both on and off the field.
In the latest headline, former Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo told the Tampa Bay Times that the coach once kicked him during practice. He missed a field goal in both of his first two exhibition games and was stretching at practice while the team prepared to face Dallas in the final preseason matchup.
“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.”
The kicker recalled saying “‘Don’t you ever f---ing kick me again.’ And his response was, ‘I’m the head ball coach, I’ll kick you whenever the f--- I want.’”
It later continued to verbally escalate as the coach further discussed the incident with Lambo in the team's training facility. Meyer, though, denied that the incident played out that way, saying that the "characterization" was "completely inaccurate."
Steve Roberts/USA TODAY Sports
Tension has continued to build between Meyer and the franchise, most recently meeting with Khan following the 20-0 loss to the Titans. The game marked the fifth straight loss for the team and the third in four weeks by at least 20 points.
Reports surfaced during the week leading up to the game that Meyer belittled his assistant coaches as "losers" in a blow-up during a meeting last week. He called the report "inaccurate" and "nonsense," while acknowledging that he is "very demanding" of his assistants.
Khan said Monday evening that he would not rush into a decision regarding the future of Meyer, emphasizing the need to make informed decisions over “just acting helter-skelter on emotion."
"I want to do the right thing for the team. I want to do the right thing for the city," Khan said, per ESPN. "That, to me, is way more important than just acting helter-skelter on emotion. I think we have a history of really looking at the facts and then really doing the right thing.
"Gus Bradley was here four years. Doug Marrone was here four years. It was wins and losses and this is a little bit different but, you know, I'm going to reflect on all of that and do what's the right thing for the team and the right thing for the city."
Khan previously opted against firing Meyer in the aftermath of a viral video that showed a woman dancing near the coach in an Ohio bar in September, citing Meyer's "sincere" remorse. Meanwhile, three assistants have left the team this season, including strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle's resignation due in part to allegations of bullying and making racist remarks while at Iowa.
Drama has continued to engulf the franchise, and as quarterback Trevor Lawrence said earlier on Wednesday, per ESPN, it needs to stop. His remarks came hours before the Times report.
"You're always going to have some form of drama. I've learned that the NFL is just more drama in general than college, no matter where you're at," Lawrence said. "But you're right. There's been a lot. To your point, I do think that has to change and that's something that we need to work on for sure.
"So you can't always be in the headlines. You just got to go play football and that's where we're trying to get and I have no doubt we'll get there, but for sure [it has to change]."
More NFL Coverage:
• Why the NFL Should Postpone Browns-Raiders
• Urban Meyer Is Bringing Nothing to the Jaguars
• 2022 NFL Offseason Head Coaching Carousel Primer
• NFL Power Rankings: Packers Rise to the Top, Buccaneers Perfectly Imperfect