Coach Chris Doyle resigned from the Jaguars a day after Urban Meyer, the new head coach, made the controversial decision to appoint the former college assistant to his staff.
Meyer, who was named to his first NFL job last month, announced late Friday night that Doyle had resigned from his position as director of sports performance following the setback his job created. The diversity group Fritz Pollard Alliance strongly criticized Jacksonville for appointing Doyle.
Doyle was the head coach and conditioning coach at the University of Iowa until 2020, when he and the school agreed to separate after being accused of making racist comments and bullying players.
“Chris Doyle came to us tonight to file his resignation and we accepted it,” Meyer said in a statement Friday. Chris did not want to be a distraction from 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 the impact of his appointment on all involved. We wish him all the best as he moves forward in his career. ”
Some black players in Iowa have accused Doyle of telling them he was going to “send them back to the ghetto” if they did not meet his standards, including USA Today. An external review of the situation concluded that a small group of coaches’ despised players’ and ‘the rules of the program perpetuated racial or cultural prejudices and diminished the value of cultural diversity. ‘
Doyle defended himself in a June statement, saying, “I do not comment on racism and I do not tolerate people doing it.”
Meyer initially defended the hiring at a press conference on Thursday, saying he is very confident that there will be no problems with the 52-year-old Doyle.
“I’ve known Chris for almost 20 years,” Meyer said. ‘His relationship with Doyle began when the two were at the University of Utah together. The only problem with the memory of Meyer is that Doyle worked at Utah in 1998 and was already a strength and fitness coach in Iowa when Meyer began his two-year career as head coach in 2003.
“He really did sports performance before sports performance became a high priority in college sports,” Meyer said. ‘I know him, I studied him, we had a relationship. I examined him thoroughly, together with our general manager [Trent Baalke] and owner [Shahid Khan]. ”
Numerous people have hired Doyle, including Rod Graves, executive director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance. The organization, named after the first African-American coach in the NFL, is comprised of coaches, scouts, and front office staff dedicated to equal opportunities in professional sports.
“At a time when the NFL has failed to address its problem with racial rental practices, it is simply unacceptable to welcome Chris Doyle into the ranks of NFL coaches,” said Graves, a former Jets CEO. , Said in a statement Friday. ‘Doyle’s departure from the University of Iowa reflects a term of office with poor judgment and abuse of black players. His behavior should disqualify the NFL just as much as it does for the University of Iowa.
“Urban Meyer’s statement, ‘I have known Chris for almost 20 years,’ reflects the good network for young boys which is precisely the reason why there is such a difference in jobs for black coaches.”