Jacksonville Jaguars head coach defends the hire of a controversial coach

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The NFL team announced on Thursday that they had hired Chris Doyle, the former University of Iowa strength and conditioning coach, as the team’s director of sports performance.

Doyle, who served on the staff of the University of Iowa from 1999-2019, was placed on administrative leave by the school in June after several former Iowa players accused him of racism. Soon after, the university and Doyle agreed to part ways.

Meyer, who was hired by the Florida-based team in January after the team fired Doug Marrone, defended the tenant, saying his relationship with Doyle dates back 20 years.

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Meyer watches the Big Ten Championship game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Northwestern Wildcats while working as a TV analyst.
“I feel great about the recruitment, about his expertise in that position,” Meyer said during its media availability on Thursday.

“I examine everyone on our staff, and as I said, the relationship goes back almost 20 years and there are a lot of difficult questions being asked, a lot of screenings of all our employees. We screened that very well.”

Meyer previously coached in college grades at the University of Utah, University of Florida, and most recently at Ohio State.

Meyer added“I’ve known the person for nearly 20 years, and I can assure them that there will be nothing in the Jaguar facility.”
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Meyer said he does not believe the allegations of racism attributed to Doyle in Iowa will stop Jacksonville from recruiting free agents.
Shortly after being placed on administrative leave in Iowa in June 2020, Doyle posted a statement on Twitter – which has since been removed – saying the allegations about his behavior are “untrue.”

Among the other hires Meyer made on his first NFL staff include former Detroit Lions interim head coach Darrell Bevell as offensive coordinator and Joe Cullen as defensive coordinator.

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