Urban Meyer feels stupid.
The Jaguars coach became a trending Twitter topic over the weekend when video and pictures showed him partying and appearing to dance with a woman who is not his wife.
On Monday, Meyer addressed the situation.
“I just apologized to the team and the staff for being a distraction. It was stupid,” Meyer said during a morning news conference ahead of Week 5. “I explained everything that happened and owned it, and, you know, just stupid, should not have had myself in that kind of position.”
Following the Jaguars’ 24-21 loss to the Bengals on Thursday — the team’s fourth straight loss to open the season — Meyer remained in his hometown of Ohio to “see the grandkids, and we all went to dinner that night.”
Then, he explained “there was a big group next to our restaurant, and they wanted me to come over and take pictures and I did.” He said the group was “trying to pull me out on the dance floor, screwing around, and I should have left.”
Meyer said he spoke to “a bunch of” team leaders one-on-one, as well as the whole team.
“They’re good. They were focused on Tennessee and I apologized again for being a distraction. A coach should not be a distraction,” Meyer said.
He recalled, “I’ve always been so defensive of them. I remember when Trevor [Lawrence] told me he was going go to Vegas for his bachelor party, and I was [like], ‘My gosh man. Be careful and surround yourself… because I’ve seen this happen.”
The former Buckeyes coach said he apologized to his family, without naming wife Shelley Meyer.
“Of course I did. That’s not me. Oh yeah, they were upset,” he said.
Meyer added that he spoke with Jaguars owner Shad Khan and general manager Trent Baalke.
He was “very supportive,” Meyer said of Khan. “Trent, I obviously talked to him at length right when I got that phone call that night, the next night.”
On Friday, Meyer’s wife seemed to hint that she was aware of the viral photos in a tweet.
“Meanwhile, I am babysitting,” she wrote alongside photos of the couple’s grandkids. She added the hashtags, “My choice,” “Mimi rules” and “buddy deserved a night out.”
Meyer admitted that he’s “concerned” that the situation could hinder his ability to lead the team in his first season as head coach.
Jacksonville (0-4) will host to Titans (2-2) on Sunday.