After four and a half years, the Jacksonville Jaguars can finally put the Urban Meyer era behind them. The two sides were battling over $30 million, and after going through an arbitration process, the Jags have come out on top.
According to Brett McMurphy of On3.com, the Jaguars won the arbitration case after it was ruled that they were justified in their "for cause" firing of Meyer. If Meyer had won the case, then the Jags would have owed him the rest of the money in his contract—more than $30 million—but instead, Jacksonville owner Shad Khan will now get to hold on to that.
Meyer's Ugly Time in Jacksonville
Meyer's time in Jacksonville was pretty brief—just 11 months—so here's a refresher on what exactly went down during his tenure with the team.
To win a "for cause" ruling, you generally have to show a pattern of misconduct, and the Jaguars had plenty of evidence to point to. Meyer, who made his name coaching college football, was hired by the Jaguars in January 2021 and signed a five-year contract.
The Offseason Practice Violation
Just six months into his tenure, the Jaguars were hit with a $300,000 fine for violating the NFL's policy on how much contact teams are allowed to have during offseason practices. The league ruled that the Jags had excessive contact at a time when they weren't supposed to. The Jags were fined $200,000 while Meyer got personally fined $100,000.
The Bar Incident
In October 2021, Meyer skipped the plane ride home after a Thursday night game against the Bengals. Instead of heading back to Jacksonville, the former Ohio State coach was photographed hanging out at a bar in Columbus, Ohio, with a young female that wasn't his wife.
"I just apologized to the team and staff for being a distraction," Meyer said at the time. "It was stupid, so I explained everything that happened and owned it. Just stupid. I should not have put myself in that kind of position... The coach should not be a distraction."
The Kicking Incident
According to On3, several players served as witnesses at Meyer's arbitration hearing, including punter Logan Cooke and former kicker Josh Lambo. The appearance by Lambo is notable because he accused Meyer of kicking him during a practice in August 2021.
"It certainly wasn't as hard as he could've done it (kicked), but it certainly wasn't a love tap," Lambo said at the time. "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."
Although the incident with Lambo happened in August, it didn't become public until December. Less than 24 hours after the Lambo story came out, Meyer was fired "for cause."
The Firing and Arbitration Outcome
The Jaguars fired Meyer just after midnight on Dec. 16, three days before they were set to play their Week 16 game against the Houston Texans. Darrell Bevell finished the season as interim coach. In 13 games with the Jags, Meyer went just 2-11 before being let go.
In the NFL, contracts for head coaches are fully guaranteed, so if you get fired, you'll eventually get all the money in your deal—unless you get fired "for cause." That's what happened here. With the case hanging in arbitration, the Jags knew there was a chance they might eventually have to pay Meyer, but the arbitrator ruled in their favor, and now they get to keep that $30 million.