Former NFL Coaches And Executives Condemn Urban Meyer For Bailing On The Plane Ride Home

Everyone has something to say about Urban Meyer right about now.

The disgruntled Jaguars head coach has maintained an apologetic tone all week after being seen out with young woman in Ohio bars over the weekend.

While being a distraction is bad enough for any NFL head coach, there’s something else rubbing people the wrong way. Urban Meyer was only in Ohio over the weekend because he decided not to fly back with the team following the loss to the Bengals on Thursday.

“I thought at the time it was a chance for everybody to clear their head, including myself,” Urban Meyer said in the aftermath of the loss.

On The Pat McAfee show today, a couple different individuals with NFL ties joined the show to speak on whether or not it was common that a coach will opt not to fly back home with their team. The short answer to that question is a resounding: no.

First, longtime executive Michael Lombardi spoke on how unprecedented it was for Urban Meyer to let the Jaguars fly back without him.

“I’ve never ever been on a team plane where the head coach wasn’t coming back with me,” he said.

"In my 35 year NFL career I have NEVER EVER been on a team plane where the Head Coach wasn't coming back with me" ~@mlombardiNFL chatting about Urban Meyer#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/zEZIwU1qZn

— WrestleMania Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 5, 2021

[SideAction-ad-group]

Then, Pat McAfee asked former coach Chuck Pagano how he felt about Urban Meyer bailing on the plane ride. It was a similar answer.

What are your thoughts on Urban Meyer not heading back with his team??

"I've never heard of that in my entire 37 years of coaching.. you don't get to check out it's only the 4th game of the season" ~Chuck Pagano#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/6HEZiX1Woo

— WrestleMania Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 6, 2021

Everyone wants to harp on the viral video of Urban Meyer (with good reason). But there’s certainly another layer here that isn’t getting as much attention.

The Jaguars were winning most of the game against the Bengals on Thursday night, and suffered a crushing defeat in the waning moments of the game.

Normally after a loss like that, a team will turn to their head coach to be there to take the blows with them. But Urban Meyer wanted no part in that, and he didn’t even have a good excuse.

There is definitely something to the reports that Urban Meyer isn’t connecting with his locker room, and I think that’s more of a reason to let the guy go than even his stupid night out.

Welcome to the game outside the game! Follow us on our Sideaction Twitter handle, Instagram, and Facebook for the latest on sports and pop culture news across the web!