JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer said Monday he apologized to the team and his family after a video that showed an unknown woman dancing on him at an Ohio bar went viral this weekend.
“I just apologized to the team and the staff for being a distraction. It was stupid,” Meyer said during a morning news conference. “I explained everything that happened and owned it, and, you know, just stupid, should not have had myself in that kind of position.”
Meyer said following the Jacksonville Jaguars Thursday night loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in his home state of Ohio, he stayed behind to see his grandchildren and went to dinner with friends at his Columbus-area restaurant/bar, Urban Meyer’s Pint House.
“There’s a big group next to our restaurant and they wanted me to come over and take pictures and I did. They were trying to pull me out on the dance floor, screwing around, and I should have left,” Meyer said.
Meyer said he spoke to team leaders one-on-one along with all the players.
“They’re good. They were focused on Tennessee and I apologized again for being a distraction, a coach should not be a distraction,” Meyer said.
He said he also apologized to his family.
“Of course I did. That’s not me. Oh yeah, they were upset,” a somber Meyer said.
He also addressed the video with team owner Shad Khan and said he was supportive. The team told News4Jax on Sunday it would not issue a statement about the video.
Following the press conference, another video showing a different angle surfaced that appears to show the first-year NFL head coach grabbing the unknown blonde’s buttocks in the middle of the crowded lounge.
After the first controversial video surfaced late Saturday night, it spread quickly and had Meyer trending on Twitter by Sunday morning.
One video of the scene, which was purportedly recorded on Friday, has been viewed more than 750,000 times. A handful of media outlets, including Barstool Sports, New York Daily News and Sports Illustrated, have reported on the video.
One Jaguars fan told News4Jax they think it will have a negative effect on the team.
“I think it affects their image. Being a really big part of their image and what they represent,” Monet Wiley said.
The loss against the Bengals brought the Jaguars record to 0-4 and the team hosts the Tennessee Titans (2-2) on Sunday.