Urban Meyer has been fired after less than a year as head coach of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, team owner Shad Khan said in a statement.
Meyer’s dismissal follows a number of controversies that have dogged his tenure in Jacksonville, including a report Wednesday that former kicker Josh Lambo had accused the head coach of kicking him during a practice in August.
The Jaguars won just two of their first 13 games this season under Meyer – tied for the second-worst record in the NFL.
“After deliberation over many weeks and a thorough analysis of the entirety of Urban’s tenure with our team, I am bitterly disappointed to arrive at the conclusion that an immediate change is imperative for everyone.” Khan said.
“I informed Urban of the change this evening. As I stated in October, regaining our trust and respect was essential. Regrettably, it did not happen.”
In October, amid a dismal 0-4 start to the season, video emerged of Meyer sitting on a bar stool as a woman danced near his lap – leading to a public reprimand from Khan.
Lambo, who was released by the team in October after missing all three of his field-goal attempts in Weeks 1-3, told the Tampa Bay Times that Meyer came up to him while he was stretching and said, “Hey Dips–t, make your f–king kicks!”
“And kicks me in the leg,” Lambo said of Meyer.
According to the Times, Meyer denied what Lambo said was accurate.
“Josh’s characterization of me and this incident is completely inaccurate, and there are eyewitnesses to refute his account,” Meyer told the paper. “(General manager) Trent (Baalke) and I met with him on multiple occasions to encourage his performance, and this was never brought up. I was fully supportive of Josh during his time with the team and wish him nothing but the best.”
Lambo told the Times the kick “certainly wasn’t as hard as he could’ve done it, but it certainly wasn’t a love tap.”
“Truthfully, I’d register it as a five (out of 10),” Lambo told the paper. “Which in the workplace, I don’t care if it’s football or not, the boss can’t strike an employee. And for a second, I couldn’t believe it actually happened. Pardon my vulgarity, I said, ‘Don’t you ever f–king kick me again!’ And his response was, ‘I’m the head ball coach, I’ll kick you whenever the f–k I want.’”
CNN reached out to the Jaguars seeking comment from Meyer and the organization.
Other issues in Jacksonville
Khan did not mention the kicking allegations in his statement about Meyer.
But in October, he criticized the coach after footage emerged of Meyer sitting on a stool at a bar in Columbus, Ohio, as a woman danced close to his lap went viral before another clip emerged o