Ex-Colts coach Chuck Pagano on Urban Meyer: 'Don't know how I could walk into that building'

Former Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano said he didn't think he could walk back into his team's facility if he had caused the distraction Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer has following its Thursday night game.

Instead of flying back to Jacksonville from Cincinnati on the team plane following a 24-21 loss that dropped the Jaguars to 0-4, Meyer remained in Ohio and was filmed in a bar dancing with a woman who is not his wife.

"Forget, 'I wanted to eat dinner here, family, across the street, pictures ...' No," Pagano said on the Pat McAfee show of Meyer's public statements. "You go in (to the team) and own that. Go in and own that (expletive). Tell the guys, 'I (expletive) up big time.'

"(He should have said,) 'I don't know how I'm going to get your trust back because I'm telling you, 'Don't do this, don't do that,' especially with COVID going on. No one is talking about that, putting yourself in this situation. Go in and own it and hope, time will heal all wounds, win some games and earn these guys' trust back. But I don't know how I could walk into that building."

Pagano said there were five things that could get you sideways during a bye week that he emphasized to his players: alcohol, drugs, firearms, women and nothing good happens after midnight.

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"A lot of those things were broken (by Meyer)," Pagano said.

Meyer, who coached at Ohio State for seven years, held a team meeting Wednesday and has publicly apologized to Jacksonville's players and team owner Shad Khan twice. Much of the criticism has focused on Meyer remaining in Ohio rather than flying back with his team.

On Tuesday, Khan released a statement which called Meyer's actions "inexcusable" and said Meyer had to "regain our trust and respect."