The most notorious incident of Meyer’s tenure came in late September when Jacksonville played a Thursday night game in Cincinnati. The Jaguars lost to the
Bengals, 24-21, their fourth straight defeat. After the season opener, Meyer had confidently told his team he had never lost two in a row. But after the Cincinnati loss, one source said Meyer looked “shellshocked” in the locker room. He told players he had nothing to say.
Neither coaches nor players, however, realized that Meyer didn’t board the team flight that night. It wasn’t until a
video emerged over the weekend showing Meyer dancing with a young woman in his Ohio steakhouse that players and coaches learned he had stayed behind. Multiple sources said Meyer went from position group to position group telling players that the woman in the video tried to lure him onto the dance floor despite Meyer’s refusal. But according to two sources, soon after he left one position group, a second, more provocative video became public, throwing everything Meyer said in doubt.
In late November, Meyer told reporters that receivers were running the wrong routes. As NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported, the comment so enraged veteran receiver Marvin Jones that Jones
left the team facility. He eventually confronted Meyer at practice but was diplomatic when he spoke to reporters about the incident.
“I’ll just say this: There was something that was brought to my attention that I didn’t like too well,” Jones said.
Once again, Meyer met with players and denied he made the comment about the receivers, even though, according to a source, a player in the room had video of Meyer’s press conference pulled up on his phone.
Meyer’s grip on the team continued to slip. In a December game against the Rams, second-year running back
James Robinson fumbled on the opening possession, the second straight week in which he had fumbled.
“Get him out,” Meyer told his coaches during the game, according to two sources. “He’s done. Put Carlos Hyde in. He’s not playing anymore.”
Robinson did not touch the ball again for 26 plays but late in the game was put back in for three carries in garbage time despite the Jaguars trailing by 30 points.
“I’m not sure what the point of that was,” Robinson, who was dealing with injuries in the week leading up to the game,
said later.
The decision also confused Lawrence, the 2021 No. 1 pick, who said he discussed the situation with Meyer and the coaching staff. “Bottom line is James is one of our best players, and he’s got to be on the field and we addressed it,” Lawrence said.
Behind the scenes, the Robinson situation was even more divisive. After the game, Meyer told reporters he wasn’t aware of Robinson’s extended absence and put the benching on Robinson’s position coach, Bernie Parmalee.
“You’d have to ask Bernie,” Meyer said. “I don’t get too involved. I don’t micromanage that.”
In a staff meeting the next morning, according to multiple sources, Meyer denied ever telling his coaches to bench Robinson. He said his assistants had misinterpreted him.
“I feel like he put us in very bad positions and, when the questions came, he deferred the responsibility, which made it look like we were just out there being the worst team in the league,” Chark said. “But we weren’t put in position (to succeed).”
Chark and others agreed that Meyer hampered players, most notably Lawrence. “Trevor is a great quarterback,” Chark said. “He was not put in good positions.
“He told us from day one that he was going to maximize our value,” Chark added. “And I truly can’t tell you one player that maximized their value on the Jags this year.”
Meyer was fired for cause on Dec. 15, shortly after Lambo, the Jaguars kicker, accused Meyer of kicking him during warmups and saying, “Hey dipshit, make your fucking kicks.” Meyer admitted in an interview with Dan Dakich that he made contact with Lambo but denied kicking him.
Meyer, who still had four years left on his contract, seemed to blame his behavior on losing. It “eats away at your soul,” he told Dakich and said he “went through that whole depression thing to where I’d stare at the ceilings.”
On the day Meyer was fired, a veteran player on the Jaguars said the mood around the team was strange. Instead of the disappointment or concern that often accompanies a coach losing his job, the player sensed something else: relief.
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