Report: Urban Meyer resigned because of health risks
Urban Meyer cited family reasons for his resignation on Wednesday. (Photo by Stephen M. Dowell, Orlando Sentinel)
Hours after Will Muschamp was announced as the new Florida head coach, a Gainesville Sun report claims the Gators’ vacancy was created when it became too risky for Urban Meyer to continue coaching.
Citing a single, unnamed source, the story says that Meyer faced increased cardiovascular risk if he continued to coach. From the story:
“Meyer was told by doctors last week that the symptoms he continues to experience — including burning sensations in his chest — would raise his cardiovascular risk factors, so he decided it necessitated his resignation, according to the source. Meyer had been told a year ago that if his symptoms continued it would increase his cardiovascular risks if he kept coaching.”
Meyer resigned nearly a year ago, on Dec. 26, 2009, in what he said Wednesday was a “knee-jerk reaction” to a health scare last December. Meyer was taken to the hospital for chest pains following Florida’s loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 6, 2009.
After resigning last year, Meyer abruptly changed his mind and less than 24 hours later agreed to take a leave of absence. He later disclosed that he had esophageal spasms, a condition he takes medication to control.
Throughout the season, he has said he has delegated more to his assistants in an attempt to reduce his stress.
“First of all, and I know I’m prejudiced here, certainly he’s one of the greatest coaches ever to coach the game. Just look at his record,” said athletic director Jeremy Foley on Thursday. “You don’t get that without having a little bit of pride. Forget all the other abilities. Pride. Like he’s going to be the head coach at the University of Florida and not give it his all? The goal was to do it a little differently because obviously you know where we were last December. But for people to say he didn’t have the same passion, he didn’t have the same energy. I know you guys can’t go to practice, but I did and I saw it. I saw him deal with discipline issues. I saw it all.
“He was just as intense. He had a little different style of management, that’s all.”
At the press conference to announce his resignation on Wednesday, Meyer said this was a decision about family. He said he has missed the high school careers of daughters Nicki, a sophomore at Georgia Tech, and Gigi, a senior in high school. Meyer said Thursday he hopes to be involved for he and wife Shelley’s youngest child, Nathan.
Asked if his resignation had anything to do with his health, Meyer said no.
“To say that there wasn’t a scare, that would be incorrect,” he said Wednesday. “But that’s not the reason for this press conference.”
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