The Urban Meyer experiment has been entertaining to say the least.
And it’s only getting more interesting, with former Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo accusing the head coach of kicking him.
Yes, kicking him.
“I’m in a lunge position. Left leg forward, right leg back,” Lambo told the Tampa Bay Times in a piece published Wednesday. “… Urban Meyer, while I’m in that stretch position, comes up to me and says, ‘Hey Dips–t, make your f–king kicks!’ And kicks me in the leg.”
The incident Lambo describes to the Times took place at practice the week leading up to Jacksonville’s final preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys in August, right in front of other players whom the seven-year veteran didn’t want to name publicly.
Lambo voiced his complaint to the special teams coordinator as well as his agent, and a follow-up conversation between player and coach saw Meyer get offended by Lambo’s response to being kicked.
“It certainly wasn’t as hard as he could’ve done it, but it certainly wasn’t a love tap,” Lambo said. “Truthfully, I’d register it as a five (out of 10). Which in the workplace, I don’t care if it’s football or not, the boss can’t strike an employee. And for a second, I couldn’t believe it actually happened. Pardon my vulgarity, I said, ‘Don’t you ever f–king kick me again!’ And his response was, ‘I’m the head ball coach, I’ll kick you whenever the —k I want.’ “
Lambo was released after missing his first three field-goal attempts of the season. The kicker, now a free agent, felt compelled to step forward after hearing recent stories about Meyer’s interactions with players and assistants.
Meyer, however, saw things differently.
“Josh’s characterization of me and this incident is completely inaccurate, and there are eyewitnesses to refute his account,” Meyer said to the Times. “(General manager) Trent (Baalke) and I met with him on multiple occasions to encourage his performance, and this was never brought up. I was fully supportive of Josh during his time with the team and wish him nothing but the best.”
There are two sides to every story, but either way, Meyer has been quite the distraction for the Jaguars, who sit at 2-11.
