5 most controversial moments of Urban Meyer's career

Urban Meyer is in the soup again, and controversies are something he seems to specialize in. This time he is in hot water because of his complete inability to be a professional as he went about questioning the professional integrity of his own assistant coaches; ones he had an hand in hiring. But the Jacksonville Jaguars should have known they were in for a bumpy ride the moment they hired Urban Meyer. He is no stranger to off-field shenanigans and has added quite a few to his portfolio in his short time in the NFL. For those wondering what all of Urban Meyer's assorted mishaps are, we are here to help refresh your memory.

Urban Meyer and controversies go hand in hand in the NFL

#1 - Urban Meyer's winning posture

Urban Meyer is a winner and he will let you know as much if it were up to him. Now a humble brag here and there is no cause for concern, but it does blow up in your face when you wield it as a tool to demean others. In the latest controversy dogging Urban Meyer, he called his assistant coaches all a bunch of losers while declaring himself the polar opposite.

Now, to be fair to Urban Meyer, he does have a sterling record in college football. But while you are an NFL coach and your team sits at a 2-10 record, it may not be the best time to go bragging about your winning capabilities. Especially to a coterie of assistant coaches who do have winning resumes in the NFL.

For example, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell was a Super Bowl winner in the same position with the Seattle Seahawks. Nick Sorenson, the special teams coordinator, also won it all as an assistant special teams coach with Seattle. Urban Meyer might want to pick their brains instead of challenging them on their records.

#2 - Urban Meyer enjoys the grind

What do you do when your team is in a losing rut? Well, you grind to get results. But Urban Meyer seemed to have a different interpretation of the word earlier this season. When the Jacksonville Jaguars were still winless, upon losing a game, Urban Meyer decided the best reaction would be to not go back to the dressing room and return to the drawing board. Instead he was found in a less than flattering position with a woman who was not his wife. The NSFW video follows below.

While any adult is free to choose the way they behave and their personal interactions is a matter of privacy and not public concern, various videos show inappropriate touching, which we have not reproduced here. Additionally, in a season where they cannot buy a win, what example does Urban Meyer leave for his dressing room that consists of young players like Trevor Lawrence? Urban Meyer's job as head coach is to set the example, and he has failed multiple times already in the NFL. But turn over to the next page to see why this never should have been a surprise to those who followed his college career.

Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual - Washington v Ohio State

Urban Meyer's controversial moments in his college career

#1 - Urban Meyer's suspension in 2018

Urban Meyer's disdain for women did not begin in the NFL. It was part of a pattern from college and there should have been sufficient red flags for any team hiring him. The Jacksonville Jaguars seemingly ignored them all, at their own peril and cost.

Urban Meyer was suspended for the first three games of Ohio State's 2018 season. The reason was disturbing as it has proved to be illuminating, pointing to his future behavior. His assistant Zach Smith got an order of protection from his ex-wife Courtney Smith. He was later fired when it all became public knowledge.

Despite his proximity to Zach Smith, whom he had hired initially as a graduate assistant in Florida, Urban Meyer sought to avoid all culpability and claimed he knew nothing of the situation despite all evidence pointing to the contrary. In fact, when Zach Smith was first accused of domestic violence, it was when both he and Urban Meyer were with the Gators. Despite such a record, it was Urban Meyer who recruited him to Ohio State and then sought to wash off all responsibility when the controversy erupted again during their time with the Sooners.

#2 - Urban Meyer leaves Ohio State in a mess

After the aforementioned 2018 season, Urban Meyer retired citing health concerns. Now, to be fair to Urban Meyer, neither do we know nor do we claim to know about his personal health. But what we can and must point out is that this had happened before as well (more on that later).

With the benefit of hindsight, we now know that Urban Meyer was not so discomfited while coaching that he had to walk away, only to then turn up in the NFL. He left, presumably, because of the stain on Ohio State that came about because of the Zach Smith saga; one that he had a hand in creating. But this is certainly not the first and last of it as we know only too well from what transpired in Florida.

#3 - Urban Meyer left Florida in a mess as well

Urban Meyer coached Florida before he went to Ohio State. He did not jump ship directly, though. Citing health issues and the need to spend more time with his family, he retired from Florida in 2010. Within a month, however, he was with ESPN working as an analyst and within the span of a year he had joined Ohio State.

It does point to a consistent knack of citing serious health issues, all of which we acknowledge might be real, but then turning up in a different place and doing the same job. It shows how Urban Meyer might get away from creating a mess by using his personal sufferings as a point of leverage. In Florida, he oversaw a program that hid drug test failures, recorded 30 arrests in six seasons, and had star player Percy Harvin attacking his own assistant. And then doing what Urban Meyer has consistently proved he is capable of, walking away.