Jaguars fired Urban Meyer for cause, hope to avoid paying remainder of contract

The Urban Meyer era lasted less than a year for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but a messy divorce between the two sides may just be getting started. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Jaguars are firing Meyer for cause with the hope that the team can avoid paying out the last four years of Meyer's five-year contract.

Meyer, 57, was fired after a 2-11 start to his first season with the Jaguars that was clouded by an increasing amount of controversy. Hours before Meyer's dismissal, former Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo told the Tampa Bay Times he was kicked by the coach in August.

In a statement through a PR representative, Jaguars owner Shad Khan said that the decision to fire Meyer had already been made days prior to Lambo's comments and the latest story about the coach wasn't the tipping point. Schefter reported Saturday morning that the decision to fire Meyer for cause was not due to one specific incident, "but rather a cumulation of instances."

In October, Meyer apologized for his actions after a video surfaced that showed the coach at an Ohio bar with a woman who wasn't his wife. Khan called the coach's conduct "inexcusable" and said Meyer would need to "regain our trust and respect."

Earlier in December, NFL Network reported that Meyer had a habit of berating assistant coaches, even going so far as to call them "losers" in a staff meeting. NFL reporter Aaron Wilson said Meyer once told his coaches they are "f---ng terrible."