Urban Meyer is close to returning to football, nearing an official announcement to rejoin the Fox Sports college football studio desk. It's a job he excelled in his two seasons between coaching Ohio State and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But after a one-year ticket aboard the Urban Meyer Express -- from which he got off early and caught an Uber home -- Jags owner has a word of advice for Fox or anyone else: don't.
“When you lose the respect, the trust and an issue of truthfulness, how can you work with someone like that?” Khan told USA Today. “It’s not possible.”
The interview marked Khan's first comments since firing Meyer on Dec. 16.
“It was not about wins and losses,” said Khan. “I think when you know someone is not truthful, how can you be around someone, OK? We had Doug Marrone here four years. We had Gus Bradley here four years. I have nothing but the utmost respect and friendship with them. That’s why they got the time, because it wasn’t a matter about respect or truth. It was a matter of wins and losses over four years. This is much bigger than that.”
Khan's comments echo those from last October, when Meyer famously did not join the team on a flight home from Cincinnati to Jacksonville after a Thursday night game. He spent the weekend in Columbus and was famously caught socializing with random women at the sports bar bearing his name.
"(H)is conduct last weekend was inexcusable," Khan said at the time. "I appreciate Urban's remorse, which I believe is sincere. Now, he must regain our trust and respect. That will require a personal commitment from Urban to everyone who supports, represents or plays for our team. I am confident he will deliver."
Narrator voice: Urban did not deliver.
Khan pledged patience in a Dec. 14 interview, again citing the fact he employed Bradley and Marrone for four seasons. This was one day after Meyer reportedly called his own assistant coaches losers and forced them to defend their resumes against his, and one day before kicker Josh Lambo accused him of kicking him in pregame warmups. Meyer was out the following day.
"After deliberation over many weeks and a thorough analysis of the entirety of Urban's tenure with our team, I am bitterly disappointed to arrive at the conclusion that an immediate change is imperative for everyone," Khan said then. "I informed Urban of the change this evening. As I stated in October, regaining our trust and respect was essential. Regrettably, it did not happen."
For his part, Meyer says the feeling is mutual. He called his 11 months in Jacksonville "the worst experience I've had in my professional lifetime."