JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer said Monday he apologized to his team, his family and owner Shad Khan after a viral video surfaced over the weekend that showed a young woman dancing close to his lap.
Meyer said he went to Columbus, Ohio, after the Jaguars’ loss at Tennessee last Thursday night to visit with his grandchildren and went to his restaurant — Urban Meyer’s Pint House — on Friday night. He said there was an event happening there and people asked to take photos with him. He said people tried to get him out onto the dance floor and he said he should have left and not allowed the young woman to dance closely in front of him.
“Just stupid,” the 57-year-old Meyer said. “Should not have myself in that kind of position.”
The nine-second video showing Meyer sitting at the bar in an Ohio State pullover while the young woman danced close to his lap was posted to social media on Saturday night and quickly went viral.
“I’ve always been so defensive of (my players),” he said. “I remember when Trevor (Lawrence) told me he was going to go to Vegas for his bachelor party. I was just like, ‘My gosh, man, be careful and surround yourself because I’ve seen this happen.’
“The team, I spoke to a bunch of leaders one on one, spoke to all the players. They’re good. They’re focused on Tennessee. I apologized again for being a distraction. A coach should not be a distraction.”