URBAN MEYER SAGA HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED TO HOLD COLLEGE COACHES ACCOUNTABLE

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After a shut-out loss this past Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars announced that they are firing head coach Urban Meyer. This came as a surprise to some as this was Meyer’s first season in the role. His short and unimpressive stint in the NFL will be remembered mostly for his incident of unprofessional public behavior with a woman in a bar following a game, and more recently kicking one of the Jaguars players. It is sad to say that his poor behavior is really the only newsworthy event to come from the Jaguars all year. However, I believe that this Urban Meyer Drama actually tells us more about the NCAA than it does the NFL. Anyone who has played a college sport has stories from practices or other team events of some questionable conduct from all or some of their coaches. I spent time in three different college basketball programs, and I witnessed numerous examples of coaches abusing their power. While college athletes certainly already know the dark side of coaching, people on the outside may be surprised at just how bad it can be. College coaches tend to be put on a pedestal more than other levels of sports. Nick Saban, Coach K, John Calipari, and Jim Harbaugh just to name a few larger than life head coaches. While I’m certainly not accusing these coaches of misconduct, they prove the point that in college it is typically the head coach that is the face of the program rather than the players. From Bobby Knight throwing chairs, breaking clip boards and verbally abusing players, to Mike Rice being fired for using slurs and physical abuse only after a video was leaked catching him in the act, the lack of accountability to college coaches has been on display for a long time. This latest example should serve as a wake-up call to the NCAA. Urban Meyer is a prime example of how a lack of accountability creates a coach who abuses their power. The reality is that he was most likely doing the same things he got in trouble for in the NFL back in his days with Florida and his time with Ohio State. The only difference is that in the NFL and other pro sports, the players are making more money than the coaches, and the owners and front office representatives typically watch coaches more closely than a college athletic director would, which creates multiple layers of accountability. Meyer worked as a head coach in the NCAA for 13 seasons before his first accusation of misconduct. It took the Jacksonville Jaguars just 14 games to determine that his conduct was not acceptable and remove him from their organization. That just screams lack of accountability. College athletes are afraid to speak out because they can be kicked off the team for much less than accusing their coach of misconduct. Most of the trainers and assistant staff are also powerless or trying really hard to stay in good graces with the coach so as to get recommended for a head coaching job at another school, and the athletic directors and other front office people typically are only around on game day. This results in a coach who is not only the highest paid person in the room, but also the most powerful by far. Now let me be clear, I am not talking about yelling, screaming and getting on players. I’m talking about the verbally, and physically abusive behavior along with any other behavior that high school or pro coaches would be held accountable for. Not only is it a detriment to so many young athletes, but it is a complete embarrassment to the NCAA.