"Football is the greatest sport of all" - When Urban Meyer shared his experience being a spectator on the sidelines

Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer was at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday to witness his successor, coach Ryan Day, win the national championship. It was the first time that the Buckeyes had won the national title since 2014, when Meyer was the coach, at the dawn of the college football playoff era.

Off the gridiron, during a 2019 interview on "NBC4 Columbus," Meyer had revealed how it felt to be a parent on the sidelines when his son, Nathan Meyer, played high school football (0:35).

"No, I just wanna see him, there's nothing like seeing your kid smile and experience success," Urban Meyer said. "But it's also good to see a little heartache out there and see him fight. Cause I think football is the greatest sport of all.

"You get hit right in the face and you gotta get up, you have no choice but to get up. And football teaches you to get up. And the good thing is, you don't have to get up by yourself, someone's gonna be there to help you up."

Meyer had three children with his wife, Shelley Meyer: two daughters, Nicki, who played volleyball for Georgia Tech, and Gigi, who also played volleyball for Florida Gulf Coast. Nathan Meyer played as a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bearcats.

When Urban Meyer found himself in hot water with his family

In November 2021, the controversial Urban Meyer was pictured at his Urban Meyer's Pint House restaurant dancing inappropriately with a woman who was not his wife, Shelley. The then Jaguars coach apologized for the incident during his weekly news conference.

"I just apologized to the team and staff for being a distraction," Meyer said. "Just stupid and so I explained everything that happened and owned it. Just stupid. Should not have myself in that kind of position.

"I stayed to see the grandkids and we all went to the dinner that night. There was a big group next to our restaurant and they wanted me to come over and take pictures, and I did."

Since the 2021 incident, a lot has happened. The Jacksonville Jaguars fired Urban Meyer for repeatedly kicking kicker Josh Lambo's legs during training and he finished his sole NFL coaching career with a 2-11 record. Meyer has since taken on a role with Fox Sports and hosts the podcast "Triple Option."