Urban Meyer on Whether He Knew Who Aaron Donald Was: ‘It’s So Silly’

He was fired after going 2–11 with the Jaguars.

Urban Meyer’s short-lived stint coaching the Jaguars was filled with both on-field and off-field drama that eventually resulted in his firing after several reports detailed his actions behind the scenes. One of the more embarrassing story lines came from The Athletic in March when it was reported the coach didn’t even know who Aaron Donald was. 

During an interview on The Tim May Podcast, Meyer was directly asked whether he actually knew who Aaron Donald was. His comments can be heard here at the 29:00 minute mark. 

“I’ve heard some silly things in my life,” he said. “You shouldn’t even address something like that. It’s so silly.” 

At the time, it didn’t seem so silly. In the same article, details of Meyer’s “toxic” environment in Jacksonville were reported. Meyer made it commonplace to insult, belittle and threaten both his assistant coaches and players with termination, per The Athletic. In the midst of his team’s disappointing 2–11 run under his guidance, Meyer didn’t even know who the star Rams player was. 

“Who’s this 99 guy on the Rams?” Meyer asked one staffer during the season, according to The Athletic. “I’m hearing he might be a problem for us.”

Before this report, Meyer’s start to the Jacksonville job was anything but good. Among the first public issues that arose for him during the season came when a video went viral of Meyer dancing at a bar with a woman who was not his wife in an Ohio restaurant after a Week 4 loss to the Bengals. He was eventually fired in December shortly after it surfaced that he kicked Jacksonville kicker Josh Lambo.

Even if Meyer knew who Donald was, there’s just too much to ignore about his time in Jacksonville and the NFL. 

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For more Rams coverage, go to Ram Digest.