New Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer has filled out his coaching staff as he looks to begin a new era with his team. The team announced the hiring of the Meyer’s staff on social media, including tapping Chris Doyle to be the team’s director of strength performance.
Director of Sport Performance: Chris Doyle
▪️ Served as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the University of Iowa from 1999-2019
▪️ Participated in 16 bowl games
▪️ Saw 55 Iowa players selected in the NFL Draft from 2005-2019 pic.twitter.com/CgHotjGgDK— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) February 11, 2021
Doyle previously served as the head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Iowa from 1999 to 2019, with 55 Iowa players going on to be selected in the NFL Draft during his tenure. However, Doyle’s hire raised a few eyebrows, as the University of Iowa parted ways with him in June last year after a group of former players spoke out about his mistreatment of them.
Most of the players who spoke out were black, and most of their allegations were about Doyle, who was the nation’s highest-paid football strength coach, receiving $800,000 a year. Among those who spoke up against Doyle include former defensive back Diauntae Morrow, who, in an interview with ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, recalled a 2009 incident with the former Hawkeyes coach and said that the team’s black players never felt welcome at the school’s program.
Other former Hawkeyes players who spoke out against Doyle include former defensive back Emmanuel Rugamba, former linebacker Terrance Pryor, and former defensive lineman Faith Ekakitie. The Jaguars' hiring of Doyle comes after the NFL’s increased efforts as part of its social justice awareness initiatives. These initiatives included placing slogans like “End Racism” and “It Takes All Of Us” in the end zones throughout the season, something that was pointed out by media members.
Meyer defended the Doyle hire like so:
Jaguars’ HC Urban Meyer said today that he has known new director of sports performance Chris Doyle for 20 years, he vetted his hire, and he is confident there will be no issues with Doyle, who left Iowa after numerous allegations of racist remarks and belittling players.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 11, 2021
The Jaguars hired Meyer about a month ago after moving on from Doug Marrone. Jacksonville went 1-15 in 2020 and is in line to select Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
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