Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press
Jacksonville Jaguars Sports performance director Chris Doyle resigned on Friday night, the day after the team hired former University of Iowa strength and fitness coach.
Doyle split from Iowa before the 2020 season, after multiple players reported racist abuse and a hostile environment in the hands of the longtime coach. New Jaguars coach Urban Meyer made Doyle one of his first hires, initially defending the decision by pointing to an almost 20-year friendship with Doyle.
In a statement on Friday, Meyer said Doyle came to the team with a resignation offer after becoming a distraction.
The hiring hit one of the most worrisome criticisms of Meyer’s career: his ability to judge character.
During his last season as an Ohio State coach in 2018, Meyer was placed on the administrative license pending an investigation into your knowledge of multiple domestic violence claims against then Buckeyes assistant Zach Smith by his ex-wife Courtney Smith. Meyer reportedly dismissed the allegations after Courtney reported the abuse to Meyer’s wife, Shelley.
These concerns about the Meyer trial resurfaced almost immediately in Jacksonville, when Doyle was announced as a member of his team.
THE Fritz Pollard Alliance called the decision to hire Doyle “unacceptable” in a letter to Meyer on Friday, reflecting the NFL’s “network of good old boys”.
In his statement late on Friday, Meyer admitted that “he should have given more attention to how his appointment may have affected everyone involved”. This came just a day after Meyer told reporters that he had examined Doyle and did not expect his previous problems to become a problem in Jacksonville. Instead, Meyer said the Jags will have the league’s best sporting performance in two years.
That may still be possible, but it will not be Doyle running that department.
Less than a month into his first NFL job, Meyer is already looking for replacements on his team.