JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As Urban Meyer gained no shortage of attention for a viral video that showed a woman who isn't his wife dancing against him at a Columbus, Ohio, bar over the weekend, many around the NFL found something else peculiar about the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach's behavior. Rather than flying home with his team following the Jaguars' 24-21 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football, the three-time national champion head coach opted to remain in Ohio, a decision that drew the ire of NFL former players and confusion from those who cover the league.
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Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Meyer addressed his decision to stay in the Buckeye State rather than flying home with his team following a close loss. And while the former Ohio State head coach said that he had received permission to do so from Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke, he also admitted that he may not have stayed in Ohio knowing what he knows now.
"I thought at the time, this is a chance for everybody to clear their head," Meyer said. "Including myself, with my family located where we were, to go spend a day or two with them and then get back because I knew I wanted [the players] to get out of dodge too and clear their heads."
Earlier this week, Meyer said that he apologized to his team for becoming a distraction heading into its Week 5 matchup with the Tennessee Titans -- a message he said he reiterated during a team meeting on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Jaguars owner Shad Khan released a statement calling Meyer's actions "unacceptable," but didn't indicate that he would fire the first-year NFL head coach, as some have suggested he should.
"I have addressed this matter with Urban," Khan said in a statement. "Specifics of our conversation will be held in confidence. 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."