Former Jaguars Kicker Does What Every Fan Wants To And Sues Team For Emotional Distress
Urban Meyer is long gone, but the stench from the pile of garbage that was the 2021 Jaguars season lingers still.
"Kicker Josh Lambo has filed a lawsuit against the Jacksonville Jaguars seeking his $3.5 million salary for 2021, plus damages for emotional distress. The lawsuit says Lambo’s performance suffered as a result of being kicked and verbally abused by then-head coach Urban Meyer.
The lawsuit, filed in the 4th Judicial Circuit Court in Duval County on Tuesday, claims Meyer and the Jaguars created a hostile work environment. Since Lambo reported the incident to the Jaguars’ legal counsel, his subsequent release violated Florida’s Private Sector Whistle Blower’s Act, the lawsuit claims."
This seems like a boiler plate lawsuit from Lambo here. As someone who was pre-law at FSU, I think this is cut and dry. Lambo was a great kicker for years, and then boom, Urban Meyer shows up, physically assaults him, and he starts missing what are usually easy 50+ yard field goals. Let me be clear here. It's the physical abuse that really drives this home. You can't kick the kicker! Any coach worth having in the locker room knows this.
Physical abuse is never acceptable, but verbal assault is going to happen. Screaming at players in order to try and correct their mistakes is 80% of coaching. If you're a player, you need that verbal abuse. You want that verbal abuse. When the coach stops yelling at you, that's when the real pain starts coming because it means the coach has given up on making you better and you'll soon be out the door. I don't care whether you're an NFL player or working somewhere else, say at a sports media company for example, you want a leader that will yell and say mean things to you. That's how you know they care!
Odds are this case gets settled outside of court. I just don't see the Jaguars allowing this to get to Discovery and having internal conversations on Urban Meyer become public. I'm a loyal company man and would never sue a former employer for my failure to perform, but as a Jaguars fan, I hope Lambo gets all the money. He's not just doing this for himself. He's doing it for Jaguars fan everywhere. Get your money, King!