Chris Doyle resigned from the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching staff just one day after his controversial appointment was announced, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Doyle was appointed by the new head coach, Urban Meyer, to serve as the Jaguars’ director of sports performance, and it was a decision that suffered serious setbacks. Due to the setback, Doyle decided to continue with the new concert was not in the best interest of the Jaguars.
On Friday night, coach Meyer a statement claims Doyle came to him to submit his resignation, and that Jacksonville accepted it.
“Chris Doyle came to us tonight to submit his resignation and we accepted it. Chris did not want to be a distraction from what we were building in Jacksonville. We are responsible for all aspects of our program and had to, looking back, “It should give greater consideration to how his appointment could affect all involved. We wish him all the best as he moves forward in his career.”
The former Iowa head coach and conditioning coach has been placed on administrative leave after several African-American players claimed he treated them negatively and unfairly because of their race. Doyle left his post at Iowa last June.
Earlier on Friday, Rod Graves, CEO of Fritz Pollard Alliance a statement released who called Boyle’s appointment ‘unacceptable’, and Meyer’s defense against the hiring is an example of the problems that minority coaches face in the NFL.
“At a time when the NFL has failed to address its problem of racial hiring practices, it is simply unacceptable to welcome Chris Doyle into the ranks of NFL coaches. Doyle’s departure from the University of Iowa reflects a term of office riddled with poor judgment and abuse Black players His actions should be as disqualifying for the NFL as they are for the University of Iowa Urban Meyer’s statement, ‘I know Chris for almost 20 years’, reflects the good ol’boy network that is exactly the reason there is such a difference in jobs for black coaches. ‘
The Fritz Pollard Alliance exists to promote diversity in the NFL through education and to provide their membership with resources that will help them succeed at every level of the game, according to their official website. They were not the only organization to criticize Meyer’s hiring, as Doyle’s place in the NFL was booked by several major sports stores following the announcement of his appointment.
As the Fritz Pollard Alliance noted, Meyer defended Doyle’s hiring on Thursday when he discussed his staff with reporters. He issued this statement about the decision via NFL.com:
“I’ve known Chris for almost 20 years. Our relationship stretches back to when I was in Utah, and he was the No. 1 strongest coach. He did sports performance before sports performance became a high priority in college sports. I knew him. I knew him. studied him.We had a relationship.I researched him thoroughly, with our general manager [Trent Baalke] and owner [Shad Khan]. Feel good about the hire, about his expertise in that position. We therefore examined him thoroughly. Sports performance is going to be a high, high priority. Since it really has become the most important in the last ten years, certainly in the state of Ohio, you know my relationship with Coach [Mickey] Marotti in the state of Ohio – but it all comes from the gym, physiotherapy, sports psychology and nutrition under the umbrella of the sports performance team. And I wanted to get the best of the best. ‘
The Doyle era in Jacksonville came and went quickly, which is probably the best when it comes to an organization with a brand new staff that needs to rebuild not only the football program, but also its reputation.