ESPN’s Analysts Blast Urban Meyer For ‘Tone-Deaf’ Hire: TRAINA THOUGHTS
1. After hearing the news that new Jaguars coach Urban Meyer hired Chris Doyle, the former strength coach at Iowa who was accused of making racist remarks at, belittling and bullying players, I was curious to see if media members would call out Meyer for the disgraceful move.
Remember, former Iowa offensive lineman Jack Kallenberger revealed that he retired from football after being bullied by his coaches about having a learning disability. Doyle was among the coaches Kallenberger cited for the harassment. Multiple Black players who played for the Hawkeyes also said that Doyle used racist language and treated them differently based on their race. That’s who Urban Meyer just gave a job to.
The Jaguars head coach tried to justify the hire Thursday with some nonsensical word salad, which was basically code for “I’m going to do whatever I want.”
With Meyer having worked at ESPN and Fox Sports, I thought he might be given a pass from former television colleagues. That was not the case. ESPN’s Tayor Twellman and Marcus Spears both went off on Meyer during their respective shows on Thursday.
“Urban Meyer, what are you doing? We should take you for your word because of a 20-year history? Oh, a 20-year history that included a football team at the University of Florida that had multiple convicts on it, including 31 arrests in six years,” Twellman said.
“And what the hell have you been paying attention to over the last 12 months? Chris Doyle put 13 Iowa players in the hospital due to bullying. He also had multiple allegations from Black players due to racial bias against them. Do you know what that means? It’s called racism. Oh, but you vetted the hiring.”
Marcus Spears also stepped up and blasted Meyer.
“How tone-deaf do you have to be to hire a guy, in this time in the country, in this league, with the things we’ve been dealing with. Who gets that pass outside of Urban Meyer and this coach Doyle that’s coming in with these things that transpire at Iowa? I’m not going to act like this is cool, because it’s not. I want to tell everybody, this is not cool.”
No, it’s not. And more media members should take Meyer to task and continue to drive that point home
2. The guest on this week's episode of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by yours truly is NFL columnist Kevin Clark from The Ringer. Clark, who also appears on podcasts and hosts the video show, "Slow News Day," talks about the Super Bowl's lackluster ratings and why the league is having a longtime issue with the 18–49 crowd. Clark also discusses how sports fans' viewing habits have changed during the pandemic and how they may change after the pandemic. In addition, Clark shares insights into his writing process, reveals what makes a good story and explains why NFL training camps are so important to him. He also gives us the behind-the-scenes story on transitioning to podcasting and the genesis of "Slow News Day." Other topics talked about include Aaron Rodgers's relationship with the media, the best concerts to see at low capacity and more.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher.
You can also watch the podcast on YouTube.
3. This was perfect use of one of the best Rock GIFs out there by Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt.
4. Never forget the time JJ Watt compared Ravens running back Ray Rice to a burrito.
5. "Party Tom Brady" now comes in action-figure form and it's spectacular.
6. Who knew the Wendy's social media account had this in them?
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Remember when Netflix added Chappelle Show in late 2020, but then they quickly pulled it at the comedian's request? Good news. Chappelle and Netflix came to a deal and now it's back. In honor of that get the weekend started with the famous Rick James sketch.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.
