The Chris Doyle Era in Jacksonville has mercifully come to an end. Doyle, whose despicable past includes alleged racist and bullying behavior toward players at the University of Iowa, has stepped down from his position as Jaguars “director of sport performance” amid calls for his resignation. Coach Urban Meyer released the following statement via ESPN’s Adam Schefter:
Doyle’s controversial hire earlier this week was met with widespread criticism eliciting strong responses from many in the media including Marcus Spears and Taylor Twellman, both of ESPN.
Meyer, one of the most successful coaches in college football during his tenures with Utah, Florida and Ohio State, wore the brunt of that criticism for willingly enabling yet another coach with a checkered past. For all his accolades, including three FBS National Championships, Meyer has gained a reputation for winning at all costs, often associating with unsavory characters (including disgraced assistant Zack Smith, the subject of an ugly domestic violence scandal) in order to do so.
Meyer’s nonchalant response to questions of Doyle’s past did little to silence critics with Rod Graves, executive director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance (an organization aimed at promoting diversity in the NFL), condemning the hire as “unacceptable.”
The 52-year-old Doyle was placed on administrative leave last June before eventually reaching a $1.1 million severance agreement with Iowa, his employer of over 20 years. Doyle had been the NCAA’s highest-paid strength and conditioning coach with an $800,000 annual salary prior to his dismissal, an event preceded by multiple allegations of mistreating his players. Jack Kallenberger, a former offensive lineman with a learning disability, claimed Doyle’s harassment of him was so severe that it prompted his retirement from the sport in January of 2019.
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