REPORT: NFL kicker who claimed Urban Meyer kicked him during practice officially sues Jaguars

Urban Meyer, a former head coach at Ohio State, had an infamous and short-lived period with the Jacksonville Jaguars. One of the most successful coaches in college football history, Meyer discovered that his style of coaching didn’t translate well to the NFL. For one thing, grown men who are paid millions of dollars don’t take kindly to being kicked in the leg and sworn at.

The Tampa Bay Times is now reporting that former Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo is suing the team for a full year’s salary. He is claiming that the assault by Meyer adversely affected his play and that Lambo’s reporting the incident then resulted in him being cut from the team.

According to the lawsuit, the fact that Lambo reported the assault before being cut violates Florida’s Private Sector Whistle Blowers Act. This act protects employees from retaliation by management for reporting violations in policy or a generally toxic work environment.

The lawsuit states that several players underperformed in matches, but only Lambo was cut from the squad after his reporting of the incident:

“Multiple skilled players missed assignments, dropped passes or otherwise failed to perform on-field directly resulting in the Jaguars’ game losses."

It continues:

"However, Mr. Lambo, the player who objected to the unlawful activity of Mr. Meyer, was the only player Mr. Meyer and the Defendant cut from the roster.”

Urban Meyer and Josh Lambo

Urban Meyer and the future Jacksonville Jaguars

Meyer’s particular coaching style reportedly led to a hostile work environment amongst his players and resulted in a 3-14 record. Jacksonville finally displayed a glimpse of their potential in the final game of the year, extinguishing the playoff hopes of division rivals the Indianapolis Colts.

With Meyer gone, an impressive draft haul and Trevor Lawrence heading into his second year a little wiser, the Jaguars are seeking redemption. They are expected to challenge for the AFC South title against the defending Tennessee Titans and a constantly improving Colts roster.

Doug Pederson comes in as Meyer’s successor, a proven head coach who led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl win in 2018. There’s real optimism that Pederson and his coaching staff will get the best out of Lawrence.

The young quarterback was pegged as a once-in-a-lifetime talent coming out of Clemson, but the number one overall pick from last year’s draft had a rough start to his NFL career. Of course, the same could be said for Hall of Famer Peyton Manning.

With Meyer out of the picture, Jacksonville could be the surprise package of the season. A ferocious defense and a young, talented offense could lead to a shake-up in the AFC South.