The Urban Meyer Experiment in Jacksonville is over, ending quickly and dramatically in a puff of smoke. So bad that, according to ESPN, Meyer was fired for cause -- meaning he will not see the remainder of his contract.
Details of Meyer's contract were never confirmed publicly, but it's believed he signed a 5-year deal worth between $9 and $12 million annually.
The firing came about late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning, hours after the Tampa Bay Times published former Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo's account of being kicked by his former head coach.
"I'm in a lunge position. Left leg forward, right leg back," Lambo told Stroud. "... 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 timing of the two events led the public to believe Lambo's account was a straw-that-broke-the-camel's-back situation, following the fiasco of October when Meyer was caught "socializing" with women who weren't his wife at his Columbus sports bar following a Thursday night loss to Cincinnati.
"I informed Urban of the change this evening," owner Shad Khan. "As I stated in October, regaining our trust and respect was essential.
"Regrettably, it did not happen."
However, a Jaguars source told the Associated Press the timing of the Times story and Meyer's firing were coincidental; Khan decided to move on following the club's 20-0 loss to Tennessee on Sunday.
A conversation Khan and Meyer had in the locker room after that shutout -- Meyer had few answers for the team's woes or how he planned to fix them -- sealed a decision Khan had been mulling for weeks.
Still, if Meyer chooses to pursue the balance of his contract through the courts or arbitration within the NFL system (which often involves a ruling by commissioner Roger Goodell, Khan's employee), Lambo's story will bolster the club's case against its former coach. (Meyer has denied Lambo's account of events.)
In 11 months' time, Meyer managed to flush away any public good will he had left and, reportedly, a $50 million contract.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.