The news of the Jacksonville Jaguars firing Urban Meyer as head coach was made official by the team on Thursday, but the team claims the decision was made following the 20-0 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
According to ESPN and the Associated Press, a conversation between owner Shad Khan and Meyer following the loss to the Titans was the final straw.
A spokesman for Khan told The Associated Press on Friday night that the decision to move on from Meyer was made after Jacksonville’s 20-0 loss at Tennessee on Sunday. A conversation Khan and Meyer had in the locker room after that shutout — Meyer had few answers for the team’s woes or how he planned to fix them — sealed a decision Khan had been mulling for weeks.
It was originally thought that the news of Meyer kicking his former kicker, Josh Lambo, was what finally led to the inevitable, but apparently that was not the case.
“The announcement was made at 12:35 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, December 16, to provide coaches and staff alike a fresh start upon reporting to the stadium that morning,” spokesman Jim Woodcock said. “Contrary to incorrect assumptions and widespread egregious reporting, the dismissal was not triggered by a single newspaper report late Wednesday afternoon related to a claim made by a former player.
“To repeat from Shad’s official statement, the decision was reached ‘after deliberation over many weeks and a thorough analysis of the entirety of Urban’s tenure with our team.'”
While Meyer was certainly the cause of his own issues and ultimate firing, Jaguars fans can thank the Titans for putting the final nail in that coffin.
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