Urban Meyer Refutes 'Silly' Reports of Aaron Donald Ignorance

Urban Meyer refuted a report from the Athletic that he was unaware of the Rams superstar

Matt Galatzan | Apr 16, 2022

Rams superstar defensive lineman Aaron Donald is a household name for NFL fans at this point in his eight-year playing career.

Donald is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, is first in Rams' history in sacks (98), and just secured his first Super Bowl ring a month ago against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Now, looks to be set to be returning to the Rams, assuming the two parties can come to an agreement on an extension. Not to mention a likelihood a future first ballot induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But according to a report, former college and Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer wasn't familiar with Donald when the Jags visited the Rams at SoFi Stadium on Dec. 5 this past season.

In fact, According to a report from the Athletic last month, Meyer was "unfamiliar" with a handful of NFL stars that the Jaguars faced during his first and only year at the helm.

"Who's this 99 guy on the Rams?" Meyer reportedly asked a member of the Jaguars staff. "I'm hearing he might be a problem for us."

However, according to Meyer himself during a recent appearance on the "The Tim May Podcast", the notion of that report was 'silly', and he knew exactly who Donald was.

"It's -- you know, I've heard silly things before in my life," Meyer told May. "You almost shouldn't even address things like that, it's so silly."

Los Angeles would go on to throttle the Jags, 37-7. Donald had five total tackles and one sack.

Whether Meyer is being truthful or not, having some basic knowledge of the opposing teams' personnel might have helped Meyer avoid being fired before even finishing out his first season as head coach.

The Jags let the former Florida and Ohio State coach go on Dec. 16, four games before the end of the regular season.

The Jags had a 2-11 record before Meyer was fired. Reports of inappropriate behavior during and away from team activities were just one reason he was relieved of his duties.

Throw being unaware of Donald right into the mix of why Meyer wasn't suited to be a head coach in the NFL.

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Published Apr 16, 2022

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com