JACKSONVILLE, Florida – Jacksonville Jaguars, director of sports performance Chris Doyle, the former strength coach at the University of Iowa who was accused of making racist comments and belittling and intimidating players, resigned on Friday night, just hours after the organization was destroyed by the Fritz Pollard Alliance contractor.
Coach Urban Meyer released a statement saying the team did not adequately consider the impact of hiring Doyle, who had reached an Iowa separation agreement in June as a result of allegations made by several black players.
“Chris Doyle came to us this evening to present his resignation and we accepted,” said Meyer’s statement. “Chris did not want to be a distraction for what we are building in Jacksonville. We are responsible for all aspects of our program and, in retrospect, we should have paid more attention to how his appointment may have affected everyone involved. We wish him the best as you progress in your career. “
The move came hours after Fritz Pollard Alliance executive director Rod Graves criticized the Jaguars and Meyer for hiring Doyle.
“At a time when the NFL failed to resolve its problem with racial hiring practices, it is simply unacceptable to welcome Chris Doyle into the ranks of NFL coaches,” said Graves’ statement. “Doyle’s departure from the University of Iowa reflected a riddled mandate of poor judgment and ill-treatment for black players. His conduct should be as disqualifying for the NFL as it was for the University of Iowa.
“Urban Meyer’s statement, ‘I’ve known Chris for almost 20 years’ reflects the good old boy network that is precisely why there is such a disparity in job opportunities for black coaches.”
The Fritz Pollard Alliance is an organization dedicated to defending diversity in the NFL. It consists of scouts, coaches and NFL frontline personnel, as well as other sports professionals.
Doyle’s hiring caused an immediate reaction on Thursday when the team announced the move as part of Meyer’s full technical team.
A number of allegations came from black players and related to the way Doyle treated them and his use of racist language. Meyer said on Thursday that he researched Doyle, had intense conversations with him and is confident that there will be no problems in the future.
“I look at everyone on our team and, as I said, the relationship goes back almost 20 years and many difficult questions have been asked, many assessments involving our entire team,” said Meyer. “We did a very good job of examining that one.
“… I met with our team and I will be very transparent with all the players as I am with everything. I will listen carefully and learn and there will also have to be some confidence in your head coach that we will give you the best of the best and time will tell. … The complaints that occurred, I will say [Notes:to the players] I examined it. I have known the person for almost 20 years and I can assure you that there will be nothing of any kind at Jaguar’s facility. “
Some of the questions raised by the countless former Iowa players who spoke on social media last year were: black and white players were considered different standards, black players were mistreated, Doyle and other assistants made racist comments and black players felt they had to conform to specific ways of dressing and behavior. His complaints prompted the university to hire a Kansas City law firm to conduct an outside investigation into the football program.
The issues were not strictly race-related.
Former offensive Iowa striker Jack Kallenberger said last June on Twitter that he retired from football in January 2019 after he became discouraged because of what he described as bullying related to a learning disability. Doyle was among the coaches he appointed and who harassed him.
The university put Doyle on administrative leave on June 6 in the wake of these allegations. A day later, Doyle defended himself in a statement posted on Twitter that said, in part: “At no time did I cross the line of unethical behavior or prejudice based on race. I don’t make racist comments and I don’t tolerate people who do.”
On June 14, it was announced that Doyle, who has been on the show since 1999, was in Iowa. Doyle, who was the nation’s highest-paid strength trainer at $ 800,000 annually, received 15 months’ salary (about $ 1.1 million) and he and his family received Iowa benefits for 15 months, or until they found job elsewhere, which he did month with the Jaguars.