Jaguars says one day after his controversial lease, performance coach Chris Doyle resigned

“Chris Doyle came to us tonight to submit his resignation and we accepted.” Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer said in a statement. “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 we had to think back more about how his appointment could affect all involved. We wish him the best as he moves forward. moves in his career. ‘

On Thursday, Meyer defended the hiring of Doyle by saying he had selected everyone on the staff. “I feel great about the hire, about his expertise in that position,” Meyer said, noting that his relationship with Doyle is almost 20 years back. “We did a very good job of judging this one.”

Meyer, who was previously in the university ranks at the University of Utah, University of Florida, and recently Ohio State University, was appointed by the Jaguars as head coach in January after the team fired Doug Marrone.

Meyer said he does not believe the accusations of racism attributed to Doyle in Iowa would prevent Jacksonville from attracting free agents.

Shortly after being placed on administrative leave in Iowa in June, Doyle posted a statement on Twitter – which has since been removed – saying the allegations about his behavior were “not true.”

“At a time when the NFL has not been able to solve its problem with racial hiring practices, it is simply unacceptable to welcome Chris Doyle into the ranks of NFL coaches,” said Rod Graves, executive director. “Doyle’s departure from the University of Iowa reflects a term of office riddled with poor judgment and mistreatment of black players. His behavior should be as disqualifying for the NFL as it is for the University of Iowa.”

Graves added that Meyer’s statement, about having known Doyle for almost 20 years, ‘reflects the good ol’boy network, and that’s exactly why there’s such a difference in jobs for black coaches. ‘