Former Jaguars K Josh Lambo Alleges HC Urban Meyer Once Kicked Him at Practice

In the latest negative headline surrounding Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer, the team's former kicker, Josh Lambo, alleged the first-year NFL coach kicked him during warm-ups.

"I'm in a lunge position," Lambo told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. "Left leg forward, right leg back ... Urban Meyer, while I'm in that stretch position, comes up to me and says, 'Hey Dips--t, make your f--king kicks!' And kicks me in the leg."

Lambo then said he confronted Meyer about it:

"It certainly wasn't as hard as he could've done it, but it certainly wasn't a love tap. Truthfully, I'd register it as a five (out of 10). Which in the workplace, I don't care if it's football or not, the boss can't strike an employee. And for a second, I couldn't believe it actually happened. Pardon my vulgarity, I said, 'Don't you ever f--king kick me again!' And his response was, 'I'm the head ball coach, I'll kick you whenever the f--k I want.'"

The kick allegedly happened during a practice leading up to an August preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Lambo said his agent, Richard Irvin, reported it to the team's legal counsel, although the kicker said he does not remember being offered a chance to meet with the counsel. However, the team's legal counsel told Stroud in a statement it offered to speak with Lambo and "any suggestion otherwise is blatantly false."

Meyer denied Lambo's version of events, saying "Josh's characterization of me and this incident is completely inaccurate, and there are eyewitnesses to refute his account. [General manager] Trent [Baalke] and I met with him on multiple occasions to encourage his performance, and this was never brought up. I was fully supportive of Josh during his time with the team and wish him nothing but the best."

The Jaguars have struggled on the field in Meyer's first season with a 2-11 record. What's more, supposed franchise quarterback and 2021 top overall pick Trevor Lawrence has just nine touchdown passes to 14 interceptions.

Yet the turmoil around Meyer has not been limited to the team's play on the field.

In October, videos with a woman dancing against him at a bar spread across social media. His wife, Shelley, was apparently babysitting at the time. This was after he made waves by remaining in Ohio and not flying back with the team following a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan released a statement that said the conduct was "inexcusable" and meant Meyer had to "regain" the team's trust.

Michael Silver reported at the time that a player said Meyer "has zero credibility in that stadium. He had very little to begin with."

On Saturday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reported "months of tension surrounding Jaguars coach Urban Meyer has boiled over with multiple run-ins with players and other coaches."

Pelissero listed multiple incidents, including a "heated argument" between the coach and veteran wide receiver Marvin Jones. A number of players also reportedly complained to Los Angeles Rams players following a game that the head coach does not treat them like adults.

Perhaps most notably, "during a staff meeting, Meyer delivered a biting message that he's a winner and his assistant coaches are losers, according to several people informed of the contents of the meeting, challenging each coach individually to explain when they've ever won and forcing them to defend their resumes."

As for Lambo, he kicked for the then-San Diego Chargers in 2015 and 2016 before joining the Jaguars. He remained with Jacksonville until he was released after he missed his first three field goals of the 2021 campaign.

The free agent made all five of his field-goal attempts in four games last year and was an impressive 33-of-34 in 2019.