Urban Meyer Has Long Been A Terrible Judge Of Character

There is no defense for “RACISM” period. 

When it rears its ugly head, most of the time it can be swept under the rug, but to Black folks, it’s not that simple no matter how much folks try to spin it. The events of the past year have shown us that systemic racism is real and white people have to start being more sensitive to the years of racial garbage Black folks have had to tolerate to succeed. 

READ MORE: NFL Players Demand To Be Heard, Jacksonville Jaguars Players March In BLM Protest

But that didn’t stop new Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer from hiring Chris Doyle. For those of you who don’t know who Doyle is, he’s the former strength and conditioning coach at Iowa who bullied and threatened Black players.

One day after being hired, Doyle resigned as Jaguars director of sports performance amidst major pushback. 

The Fritz Pollard Alliance blasted Meyer and the Jaguars for making this hire. The group called the hiring unacceptable and its executive director Rod Graves said Meyer’s defense of the hire is a prime example of the racism and double standard that minority coaches face in the NFL. Graves wasn’t done there and he had this to say.

“At a time when the NFL has failed to solve its problem with racial hiring practices, it is simply unacceptable to welcome Chris Doyle into the ranks of NFL coaches.” “Doyle’s departure from the University Of Iowa reflected a tenure riddled with poor judgment and mistreatment of Black players. His conduct should be as disqualifying for the NFL as it was for Iowa.

Doyle was a bully and even went as far as to threaten to send Black players back to the “ghetto.” He also sent (13) players to the hospital with rhabdomyolysis, which is a condition developed when damaged skeletal muscles break down rapidly. Symptoms may include the following (muscle pains, weakness, vomiting and confusion). 

This may also cause their urine to be tea-colored or have an irregular heartbeat. Myoglobin, a protein to help with muscle breakdown, was given and if untreated can lead to kidney damage and kidney failure. 

The Hawkeyes and Doyle parted ways after agreeing to a $1.1M buyout.

Doyle Benefits From Racism, Meyer Is Clueless

See that’s how it works in big-time college athletics. A coach breaks rules and violates Black athletes and then gets money to leave. Not only did Doyle briefly end up with an NFL job, but he was probably making more money than he was at Iowa. 

READ MORE: Parents, Stop Sending Your Kids To Play For Urban Meyer

This hire by Meyer was another win for the good ole’ boys network  With all that’s going on in today’s society as it pertains to social injustice, it’s unfathomable that Meyer would make this hire knowing of Doyle’s past transgressions. 

Meyer says he’s known him for 20 years or so, but what type of culture is he really trying to build in Jacksonville? 

And I just wanna know why Meyer feels Doyle should be a part of that culture. Yes he denied the accusations, but we know he’s full of cow dung and the witness list and evidence stacks pretty high. 

For Urban Meyer, toeing the line of controversy is nothing new. This particular hire was totally unnecessary and especially in the NFL, where players have much more power and can simply refuse to join a team.

Also, these are grown millionaires, and I seriously doubt that Doyle’s coaching style would go over well in an NFL weight room or locker room. He might even catch some hands if he tries it. This could also really hinder the ability to add players via the draft or free agency, and without talented players, it’s very hard to build a competitive roster.

Meyer hasn’t coached a down and Jacksonville already has a reputation of being a franchise that ignores the voices of its players and is failing miserably to meet the levels of diversity and the equal playing ground that the League has promised. It’s not like Meyer didn’t have some miserable failures as a leader, despite his success as a Power 5 coach.

READ MORE: Allegations Raise Old Questions About Urban Meyer’s Leadership

Meyer stated that he and GM Trent Baalke, along with owner Shad Khan vetted, evaluated, certified, investigated (and whatever other synonym you wanna throw out there) Doyle before hiring him, but that just sounds like someone toeing the corporate line. 

I find it amazing that 13 players went to the hospital on his watch — all suffering from the same injuries due to his dehumanizing, bullying and negligent, threatening ways. If that isn’t enough to get him fired then being a racist should have finished him off. 

So by the looks of things, in the Jaguars’ eyes, the racism allegations must obviously be okay. 

In the end,  they didn’t care. They knew who they wanted, and these grave allegations (and plenty of proof) didn’t stop them from hiring him anyway. They can try to hide him from the public, which I know they’ve already discussed at length, but you can’t forgive racism or the type of behavior displayed by Doyle at Iowa.

The Fritz Pollard Alliance is an organization devoted to championship diversity in the NFL. It comprises scouts, coaches and front office personnel in the NFL as well as other sports professionals.

Meyer’s defensive coordinator hire, Joe Cullen, was arrested for riding through a Wendy’s drive-thru naked. Says a lot about the company Urban Meyer likes to keep.

READ MORE: Urban Meyer Suspended 3 Games For Mishandling Domestic Abuse Scandal

Don’t forget Meyer is also the one who covered up his former wide receivers coach at Ohio State’s physical and mental abuse of his wife.

The Urban Meyer Era with the Jaguars are off to a rocky start.

`
Back to top