Timeline: Urban Meyer's disastrous year with the Jaguars

A three-time NCAA champion, Urban Meyer finally gave the NFL a shot in 2021 after the Jacksonville Jaguars and owner Shad Khan came calling.

After weeks of speculation, the Jaguars made Meyer their new head coach on Jan. 14. Less than a year later, he's gone. A series of unfortunate events defined Meyer's short stint in Duval County.

Feb. 11: The Chris Doyle debacle

Meyer hired Doyle to serve as the director of sports performance. Doyle had spent two decades at Iowa, where he was regarded as one of the top strength and conditioning coaches in college football. There was just one problem: The Hawkeyes split with Doyle in June 2020 after looking into allegations that he had made racist and belittling comments toward numerous players. Doyle resigned a day after the Jaguars announced his hiring.

April 29: NFL draft

It wasn't his most egregious call, but Meyer's decision to spend a first-round pick on running back Travis Etienne was baffling given James Robinson's emergence the year before. Meyer later revealed he wanted to pick Kadarius Toney with the 25th selection before the New York Giants beat him to the punch. The Jaguars envisioned Etienne as a running back/wide receiver hybrid, but the Clemson product suffered a season-ending foot injury in the preseason.

May 20: Tebow Time James Gilbert / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Although he'd been out of football for six years, Meyer signed Tim Tebow - the quarterback he won big with at Florida - to play tight end. Tebow had spent four seasons playing minor-league baseball in the New York Mets organization - the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the fifth one. Tebow provided a few preseason clips of him whiffing on blocks before Jacksonville released him.

July 1: OTA violations

The NFL fined the Jaguars $200,000 and Meyer $100,000 after the team violated physical contact rules during organized team activities. Two other teams and their head coaches were punished as well, though the fines against Jacksonville and Meyer were double what the San Francisco 49ers/Kyle Shanahan and Dallas Cowboys/Mike McCarthy received. In response, the Jaguars said they would "re-emphasize offseason training rules as they relate to contact."

Aug. 31: Roster cuts revelation

After the Jaguars trimmed their roster to the 53-man limit, Meyer told reporters that he factored COVID-19 vaccination status into his decisions about which players to cut. The NFL prohibits teams from releasing players because of their vaccination status. "Can I say that that was a decision-maker? It was certainly in consideration," Meyer said. The NFLPA launched an investigation into Meyer's explanation.

Oct. 4: Bar video apology

In perhaps his most public misstep, video surfaced showing Meyer - who is married - with a woman dancing in his lap at an Ohio bar/restaurant while his team traveled home from Cincinnati. The video went viral in minutes. Hours earlier, the Jaguars had lost to the Bengals and dropped to 0-4. Meyer apologized to his players for making himself a distraction, but he drew criticism for addressing them in small groups rather than all together. He talked to the team again collectively in response to the backlash, and Khan published a statement saying Meyer had to regain the club's trust.

Dec. 5: James Robinson's benching

The Jaguars benched Robinson for the second time in as many weeks after he fumbled for the second game in a row. Oddly, the Jaguars sent Robinson - their most productive offensive player - back onto the field in garbage time of a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Robinson appeared befuddled when asked the next day about his usage. Rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence came to Robinson's defense, telling reporters that Robinson has "got to be on the field."

Dec. 11: Reports of tension

A day before the Jaguars took on the Tennessee Titans, NFL Network reported that Meyer had had several recent run-ins with players and assistants. Sources said Meyer frequently lashed out at his staff, questioning his assistants' resumes and calling them losers while pinning a large share of the Jaguars' struggles on them. Meyer also reportedly angered veteran wide receiver Marvin Jones to the point that he left the team facility and needed others to convince him to return. Meyer denied the report and threatened to fire whoever was responsible for the supposedly false leaks "within seconds" if he discovered the source.

Dec. 13: Andre Cisco's playing time

Nearly 24 hours after losing 20-0 to the Titans, a reporter asked Meyer about Cisco's lack of playing time. Meyer responded by saying the rookie safety had been playing more lately. But Cisco took zero defensive snaps against Tennessee the previous day.

Dec. 15: Josh Lambo's allegation

In what perhaps marked the final straw, Lambo - a former Jaguars kicker - told the Tampa Bay Times that Meyer addressed him as "dipshit" and kicked him in the leg while he was stretching during training camp. "(The kick) certainly wasn't as hard as he could've done it," Lambo said, "but it certainly wasn't a love tap. ... Truthfully, I'd register it as a five (out of 10). Which, in the workplace, I don't care if it's football or not, the boss can't strike an employee. And for a second, I couldn't believe it actually happened. Pardon my vulgarity, I said, 'Don't you ever f------ kick me again!' And his response was, 'I'm the head ball coach, I'll kick you whenever the f--- I want.'" Lambo was released in October.

Dec. 16: Fired

The Jaguars confirmed Meyer's dismissal shortly after midnight E.T. In a statement, Khan said he was "bitterly disappointed to arrive at the conclusion that an immediate change is imperative for everyone." He added that Meyer failed to regain the organization's trust as he had commanded Meyer to do after the bar video incident.

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